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Home » Recipe Index » Bread and Baked Goods » Cheater's Siopao Bola Bola

Cheater's Siopao Bola Bola

Published: May 29, 2019 · Modified: Jun 13, 2020 by Lalaine Manalo · This post may contain affiliate links

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Cheater's Siopao Bola Bola made easy using refrigerated biscuits, meatballs, and quail eggs. These steamed buns are so fluffy and delicious with so little effort and in under 30 minutes!

These steamed buns are light, fluffy and served alongside a tasty sauce.
Cheater's Siopao Bola Bola

Who doesn't love a hearty piece of siopao smothered in a sweet and savory brown sauce? Left to my own devices, I'll have these steamed meat buns breakfast, lunch and dinner and all the snacks in between!

But as deep as love for siopao is my dislike for their labor. The making of the dough, the filling, and the sauce all translate to a good day's hard work and not one I am willing to tackle. My solution? Refrigerated biscuits, frozen fully-cooked meatballs, and canned boiled quail eggs!

In thirty minutes tops, I can have a dozen or so of stored siopao bola-bola in the freezer to zap in the microwave when craving hits.

Frozen meatballs, biscuit dough and eggs are used to create these steamy buns.

Of course, nothing beats traditional siopao, and if you have a good afternoon to spare, I do have a Siopao Asado recipe you can try.

But if you're looking for a quick fix, this cheater's siopao bola-bola shortcut method is the perfect answer. The refrigerated biscuits steam into soft and pillowy buns in a tenth of the time it takes to make from-scratch yeast dough.

Place quail egg and frozen meatball in biscuit dough as preparation.

I use frozen pre-cooked meatballs and hard-boiled quail eggs from the can to keep with the quick and easy theme but feel free to experiment with your favorite fillings and make the steamed buns extra special. Here are a few suggestions below.

Steamed bun fillings

  • shredded adobo chicken
  • shredded pork asado (follow my macao-style recipe; just swap pork butt for the spare ribs and thicken the sauce with cornstarch slurry)
  • chopped Chinese BBQ/char sui pork
  • custard, ube halaya or sweetened red bean paste
  • Peking duck slices with hoisin sauce

Place stuffed buns into steamer spaced out.

Steamed buns the cheater's way

This cheater's bola-bola is so easy to make, the most work involved is making the homemade sauce!

  • Open the tube of refrigerated biscuits and separate each dough. With hands or a rolling pin, flatten the dough to about 3-inch diameter.
  • Place a fully-thawed meatball and a quail egg on the center of each flattened dough. Pull edges to the center and twist to fully enclose filling.
  • Place each dough balls seam side down on 3 x 3-inch cut parchment paper and arrange in a single layer on a steamer basket. Make sure to leave 1 to 2 inches of space between each as the dough will expand during steaming.
  • In the bottom part of the steamer, add water and 1 tablespoon of vinegar for every liter of water. The vinegar will help whiten the buns.
  • Place the steamer basket over the pot of water, cover, and steam for about 10 to 15 minutes or until buns are puffed and tops are shiny.
  • Remove the steamed siopao from steamer and serve hot with the sauce.

Make the sauce by combining water, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, oil, and salt to taste. Stir until well-blended and bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue to cook, whisking regularly to prevent lumps, until thickened. To boost flavor, you can also add one or two pieces of star anise.

Serve finished steamed meat buns with dipping sauce on the side.

How to store

  • Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for a few minutes or until firm. Transfer to airtight containers or resealable bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
  • To reheat, warm in the microwave for 30 to 40 seconds or steam for about 2 to 3 minutes.
siopao bola bola on a baking sheet with white jug of siopao sauce on the side
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5 from 1 vote

Cheater's Siopao Bola-Bola

Cheater's Siopao Bola Bola made easy using refrigerated biscuits, meatballs, and quail eggs. These steamed buns are so fluffy and delicious with so little effort and in under 30 minutes!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Total Time20 mins
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Asian
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 249kcal
Author: Lalaine Manalo

Ingredients

  • 1 tube (8 each) jumbo refrigerated biscuits
  • 8 pieces frozen meatballs, thawed
  • 8 pieces quail eggs, hard-boiled and peeled

For the Sauce

  • ½ cup water
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • salt to taste
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Open the tube of refrigerated biscuits and separate each dough. With hands or a rolling pin, flatten dough to about 3-inch diameter.
  • Place a meatball and an egg on center of each flattened dough and pull edges to center. With hands, twist edges to fully enclose filling.
  • Place each dough balls seam side down on 3 x 3-inch cut parchment paper and arrange in a single layer on a steamer basket at about 1 to 2 inches apart.
  • In bottom part of steamer, add water and 1 tablespoon of vinegar for every liter of water.
  • Place the steamer basket over the pot of water, cover, and steam for about 10 to 15 minutes or until buns are puffed and tops are shiny. Remove from steamer and serve hot with sauce.

For the Sauce

  • In a saucepan, combine water, sugar, soy sauce, cornstarch, oil, and salt to taste, Stir until sugar and corn starch are dissolved.
  • Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Continue to cook, whisking regularly to prevent lumps, for about 2 to 4 minutes or until thickened.

Nutrition

Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 924mg | Potassium: 144mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2.1mg
Tried this recipe? I'd love to see what you made!mention @Kawalingpinoy and hashtag your photo with #kawalingpinoy

 

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Lalaine from Kawaling Pinoy

Hello! My name is Lalaine and welcome to Kawaling Pinoy where you’ll find Filipino and Asian-inspired recipes, cooking tips, and how-to videos. Read more...

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Comments

  1. RACHEL ROBERTS says

    July 30, 2018 at 9:29 am

    I'm partial to "user-friendly" recipes. I love to cook but have not acquired the knack to bake. Closest to baking I've done is cake recipes using cake mix from a box which I "embeliish." Thank you for sharing your "cheat" siopao. Hey, if it works iit's not cheating. It's called creative and resourceful 🙂

    Reply
    • Lalaine Manalo says

      May 29, 2019 at 2:40 pm

      Yes, I am all for cheating my way to delicious goodies 🙂

      Reply
  2. Rosie says

    January 22, 2016 at 12:36 pm

    Hi Lalaine
    I consider you a fairygodsister 🙂
    You have made my life easier and so inspired
    I love cooking and the more i love cooking now because of the recipes you have made easy to follow
    Will be making my 1st Bola2 siopao, I am looking forward to making the 1st 8s and then, who knows, I might even be able to make a sideline out of that 😉
    God Bless you more Lalaine for a blessing to us

    Reply
    • Lalaine says

      January 22, 2016 at 2:41 pm

      Hello Rosie

      I am glad you are finding the recipes here at Kawaling Pinoy useful. The cheater's bola bola siopao are really easy to make but if you are up for a more challenging siopao making afternoon, try this siopao asado recipe, with dough from scratch. Definitely worth the effort! http://www.kawalingpinoy.com/2015/03/siopao-asado/

      Reply
  3. elsa laquindanum says

    October 29, 2013 at 7:24 pm

    hi there, came from Philippines, in here where can I find refrigerated biscuits, or what can i sub?

    Reply

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Welcome to Kawaling Pinoy where you'll find hundreds of delicious Filipino and Asian recipes. Make sure to browse around and pick a favorite dish or two. Happy cooking! Read More…

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