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Home > Recipes

Siopao -Asado (Steamed buns with chicken filling)

BY :Bebs | Published: 02/27/ 2016 | Updated:03/21/ 2020 | 114 Comments

RECIPE VIDEO PRINT
4.81 from 42 votes
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Siopao is a popular Filipino snack. They are steamed buns that are filled with savory-sweet saucy meat dish called Asado or meatballs. siopao

Steamed buns are very popular around Asia although it may be called differently in every country. Filipino Siopao Asado is similar to the Chinese Pork steamed buns 'Char Siu Bao'. Not surprising since it was the Chinese who introduced us this wonderful food.

Back home, Siopao is one of the favorite snacks and the usual choice is  Asado or Bola-bola. Asado is a way of cooking meat that has a sticky sauce that is both sweet and salty, it can either be pork or chicken. Bola-bola, on the other hand, uses ground meat to make meatballs as a filling. I already wrote about Chicken Asado before and you can get the recipe here.

Try this easy recipe for Siopao - Asado (Steamed buns with chicken Asado filling). It also includes a video for the instructions. | www.foxyfolksy.com

Siopao is usually sold in Chinese restaurants but it is also easily found in small stores or establishments or even sidewalk vendors, great on-the-go food.

I remember the first time Armin tried Siopao. It was during a long bus trip coming back from Bantayan Island to Cebu City. We had a shortstop and I was feeling hungry so I went down to look for something to munch. Lucky me,  a store was selling some steaming Siopao Asado and I got just one for me because I was was not sure if Armin would like them. He is usually not a fan of food that is sweet and salty. But after I convinced him to try it, I ended up going down again to get two more because he liked them...too much I think! Peace hon! 😉 

Try this easy recipe for Siopao - Asado (Steamed buns with chicken Asado filling). It also includes a video for the instructions. | www.foxyfolksy.com

 

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Print Review

Siopao -Asado (Steamed buns with chicken filling)

4.81 from 42 votes
Try this easy recipe for Siopao - Asado (Steamed buns with chicken Asado filling). It also includes a video for the instructions.
Prep Time: 1 hour hr
Cook Time: 15 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Course :Snack
Servings =10
Print Recipe Rate this Recipe

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup warm water
  • ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 pouch active dry yeast - about 1 Tbsp
  • 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tablespoon baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons shortening or vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • Chicken Asado Filling

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl, mix together the warm water, 1 Tbsp of sugar and yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes.
  • In a big bowl, combine the flour, rest of sugar and baking powder. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and the 3 Tbsp shortening. Mix well until a dough forms.
  • Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Coat the dough with oil and place in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for an hour or until it doubled in size.
  • Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a floured surface. Roll into a log and divide into 8-10 equal portions.
  • Form one into a ball and then using hand of rolling pin flatten it into about 4-5 inch circle leaving a small bulge in the middle. Scoop a tablespoon of filling and place it in the middle. Gather the ends towards the middle from one side until you reach the other end closing the filling in. Pinch and twist to seal the ends together o top. Repeat with the remaining dough balls. Let them rest for 5-10 minutes.
  • Before steaming, put a piece of parchment or wax paper at the bottom of each bun. Place the buns in the steamer leaving at least an each apart as they will rise and spread while steaming. Steam for 15 minutes. Turn off the steamer or remove from heat and let it stay closed for 5 minutes before removing the cover.
  • Let the buns cool a bit before serving.

Notes

You may also use instant yeast and add it directly to the flour or dough without the need of proofing it first.

Nutrition

Calories: 171kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 3gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2mgPotassium: 94mgFiber: 0gSugar: 5gCalcium: 31mgIron: 1.5mg
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @foxyfolksy or tag #FoxyFolksyRecipes!

 

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    4.81 from 42 votes (13 ratings without comment)

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  1. Emelynda Sun says

    April 22, 2024 at 6:23 am

    4 stars
    I made chicken asado siopao using this recipe & it turned out really good. The dough stayed firm yet soft even after the next day. Just need to work on my 'pleating'🥰 Thank you. I will be making pork asado today as it's my family's favorite❤️

    Reply
  2. Aurora says

    August 17, 2023 at 10:43 pm

    Why are there two different bun recipe one for asado and one for bola bola. Can I use just one recipe. Which one is better. I tried your bola bola recipe since I doubled the recipe I did put the other half in the fridge after the first rise and divided the dough into two but when I steamed it, it collapsed since it has risen more than the first batch. How do I resolved this?

    Reply
    • Bebs says

      December 17, 2023 at 3:34 pm

      Try to reduce the yeast and then just let the first batch rise longer.

      Reply
  3. Ditha says

    September 16, 2022 at 12:05 am

    5 stars
    This recipe is very good its just right consistency not too sweet or not too salty i would make this again.

    Reply
  4. Theresa says

    September 13, 2022 at 12:19 am

    5 stars
    Always my favorite recipe. Been using this for years! Really like a taste of home.

    Reply
  5. Lauren says

    June 19, 2022 at 7:18 pm

    I don’t know what’s wrong, but when it cools down, it became flat🫣 what could be the problem?

    Reply
    • Bebs says

      June 25, 2022 at 5:39 pm

      Hi Lauren, it could be that the dough rise too much and deflated after cooking. You can try using lesser yeast and use a gentle simmer instead of a rolling boil for the steam.

      Reply
  6. Precy Barbiran says

    May 29, 2022 at 7:17 am

    5 stars
    All your recipes, I rate them 5 stars!

    Reply
    • Bebs says

      June 11, 2022 at 11:43 pm

      Aaaaw...that is so nice of you to say.

      Reply
  7. Faith says

    February 20, 2022 at 1:18 pm

    made this evening with pork asado..turned out pretty well though my wrapping is not so tidy! Thank you!

    Reply
  8. Rob says

    December 15, 2021 at 9:17 am

    That's right, all these buns are derived from China, including the steamed buns in Korea, Japan & SE Asia. If you look at the word "Siopao", it sounds & looks a lot like "Siu bao", as in Char Siu Bao. This isn't the first time someone interpreted the spelling of a word from it's original nation/culture somewhat inaccurately & made it their own. The Japanese dumplings, "gyoza", sounds a lot like the Chinese "jiaozi", which is where it originated. "Boondocks" in the United States is a word that originated from Tagalog "bundók". And so on & so forth for many other thousands of words in the world throughout human history. Thank you for this recipe though, I want to make my own, because buying them in the store is expensive. I prefer the asado bbq (char siu) version rather than the vegetable/pork. I have also been watching videos of many Chinese cooks who know the art of pinching the tops of the steamed bao into a spiral.
    ~ Rob 12/14/2021

    Reply
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