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If you’ve been following me already, you probably saw the photo I posted of my sorry attempt on siopao making. Those buns above? #majorfail. They were so hard and dense they would have put down Goliath to sleep. I usually use refrigerated biscuits to cheat my way to a delicious siopao treat but I wanted to up my game and learn how to make the dough the “authentic” way. It was easy enough to tweak the asado filling to get the right balance of sweet and salty I wanted but the dough itself proved more difficult. I tried the many different variations I found online but I just couldn’t find the texture I was looking for.
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I was ready to throw in my white towel when I found this Vietnamese steamed bun recipe on Youtube and it looked promising enough to get me back on my siopao quest. Oh bejesus! It was spot on! The buns came out soft and fluffy and just the way I like them. Please note that the amounts for the flour and sugar in the dough recipe are in weight and not volume (grams vs cups). I suggest using a kitchen scale to ensure accurate measurements and a more consistent product.
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 pound pork butt or shoulder, cut into large chunks
- 2-1/4 cups water
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup oyster sauce
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 star anise
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 260 ml warm milk (40-60 C)
- 2 teaspoons dry instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 500 grams all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 100 grams sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- lime
- Steamer
- Wax or parchment paper, cut into 4"x4' squares
- water for steaming
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- In a pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions and garlic and cook until limp. Add pork and cook, stirring regularly, until lightly browned.
- Add 2 cups of the water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and star anise. Stir until well-dispersed. Bring to a boil, skimming scum that may float on top. Lower heat, cover, and continue to cook for about 1 hour or until meat is fork tender. You will have about 1-1/2 cups of liquid left in the pot. With a slotted spoon, remove pork from pot and let cool to touch. Using two forks, shred meat.
- Remove about 1 cup of the braising liquid and set aside. Return shredded meat to pot and bring to a boil.
- In a bowl, combine cornstarch and the remaining ¼ cup water. Stir until smooth and cornstarch is dissolved. Add half of the cornstarch slurry to the pot of meat and stir to distribute. Continue to cook for about 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from pan and allow to cool.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the reserved 1 cup braising liquid and the remaining half of the cornstarch slurry. Bring to a boil, stirring regularly, for about 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened. This well be the siopao sauce.
- In a bowl, combine milk, yeast, the 2 tablespoons sugar and salt. Stir well until dissolved. Let stand for about 5 to 10 minutes or until mixture is foamy.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, the 100 grams sugar, baking powder and vegetable oil, Mix well. Add a few drops of lime juice into the flour mixture (to make the buns whiter).
- Add yeast mixture to the flour mixture. Mix together until it forms a dough. Continue to mix and knead until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky. Cover with a plastic film and allow to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or until double in size.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and on a clean work surface, and form into a long log. With a knife, cut the dough into 10 equal size pieces and then form each piece into smaller balls. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and allow to rise for about 30 minutes.
- On a clean working surface, place one piece of dough and with a rolling pin, roll out, making sure to get edges thinner than the center, into a flat disk. Place about a tablespoon of the meat filling in the center. Gather the edges of the dough around the filling and gently twist to fully secure filling. Place bun on a piece of parchment or wax paper. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
- Arrange prepared buns in a single layer on a flat baking sheet, cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise again for another 10 minutes.
- In a steamer, place buns in a single layer. Add about 2 tablespoons of vinegar into the steaming water (for whiter buns). Steam buns for about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove buns from steamer. Serve hot with asado sauce.
I have tried your dough recipe many times since 2015 — it is a keeper and this is a good starter recipe. Did not have the chance to leave a comment so….”Maraming salamat sa iyong mabuting pamamahagi.” May you always receive, also from people with good intent.
Thank you, Gladys. I am glad you like the recipe. Yes. it’s a good base for other fillings. In fact, I am working on a bola bola siopao 🙂
I am just curious. How do you store the siopao buns? Can you steam it then store it in a air tight container or frozen perhaps?
Any suggestions on this?
After I steamed them, I arrange them on a baking and freeze them for an hour or two. When they’re firm, I transfer them into ziplock bags to freeze. By freezing them first on a baking sheet, they don’t stick together when placed in the bags. You can remove one or two from the bag as you like, thaw for a few minutes and then warm them in the microwave for about a minute. Hope this helps 🙂
optional po ba ung oyster sauce, allergic kasi ko. ano pde alternative kung di sya optional.
thanks
Omit na lang then add sugar to taste for sweetness.
I am so happy to find this recipe here. I live in. a small city out here in the northern coast at the edge of the next state. I have no filipino restaurant and not even a filipino mart. you can imagine how much I crave for our kind of taste.
I have an innate desire to recreate all the comfort food I have loved when I was growing up in Dipolog. Then and now – (the ONLY Chinese restaurant in the city) – my family’s favorite weekend diner. SIOPAO buns, panic canton, sweet and sour and canton fried rice.
Ill tell you how much I like your idea and how much I am into prepping a batch of these white blobs of soft and velvety Siopao.
I hope you give the recipe a try. The dough is fantastic, soft and fluffy 🙂
Is the milk’s temp really 40-60F or just a typo and meant to in Celsius? Coz 40F is cold.
Hi Marie,
I am sorry about that. Yes, it’s in Celcius. Thanks for letting me know, I corrected the recipe card to reflect this.
Hello there..i would love to try this siopao recipe, though i just have one question. Can i use my stand mixer n kneading the dough instead of kneading it by hand?
Thanks in advance 🙂
Hello Deena,
I’ve never tried it doing the dough by stand mixer but I am sure it would work. I just can’t tell you the adjustments in time needed because I’ve never done it. Please let me know how it turned out.
Thank you so much! I will be trying this recipe this week. I will post back when I do.
Cheers!
Let me know how it turns out. Enjoy!
is active dry yeast and dry instant yeast the same?
Hello M
Both yeasts can be used interchangeably in recipes but you need to dissolve the active dry yeast in water before using while you can just add instant yeast right into the dough. Hope this helps
Thank you for this recipe!! I am so excited to try it. Have you ever made them and then froze before steaming? Also how do you suggest I store them overnight? Thanks again
Hello Julia,
I usually steam them first and then freeze them for future use. I arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze them for a few minutes. When they’re firm, I transfer them into a resealable bag, this way they don’t stick together. You can warm them up in the microwave to enjoy! 🙂
Yesss! I’m making this with chicken. It is in the slow cooker now. I will make them tomorrow and freeze half. Masarap! Many thanks again.
Enjoy!
This recipe looks promising, I must try this soon. One question though, you mentioned using
warm milk, but 40 – 60 F? At 70 F, I sleep under a blanket. Also, does the star anise dissolve during cooking or do you need to remove it? I would use pressure cooker to cook the filling, If you cook it long enough, the meat will be shredded and save time.
Hello Eddie
Cold milk is below 40 F. You want to achieve 40-60 F because the “warm” temperature is the ideal environment for microorganisms, yeast in this case, to flourish. Above that range, it will be too hot and kill the yeast. You can’t exactly compare what your body would consider cold or warm to a glass or so of milk as you have higher molecular weight/mass and thus “react” to ambient temperatures differently. 🙂
In my experience, no, the star anise doesn’t dissolve during cooking. It might break into half especially with constant stirring but if you mean “dissolved” completely wherein you won’t see it, no, I don’t think so.
Hi there! I’m just wondering if the meat portion of the recipe can be done in the slow cooker. Would love to make this regularly for the family!
Can i use cake flour instead? What’s the measurement if ill be using cakeflour? Thank u.
I am sorry but I’ve never tried this with cake flour so I am not sure how or if it will even work.
Ms.lalaine it’s ok if using cake flour very tasty, thank you for sharing ….☺
Hi! My husband and I are going to make this soon. The recipe looks promising! 😉 Just a couple of questions though:
– The recipe calls for dry instant yeast. Can we use rapid rise yeast instead?
– Is skim milk ok to use for the dough?
Really appreciate any input you can share with us. Thank you 🙂
Hello Jenny
Rapid rise and dry instant yeast can be used interchangeably in recipes, you just have to adjust rise time as dry yeast takes longer to rise. I’ve always used whole milk for this recipe so I am not sure of possible changes to the final product. I am worried, though, that there will be change to the texture of the dough as fat in the milk acts as tenderizer and moisturizer. There might be change in the softness of the siopao. Hope this helps.
The recipe for the dough is a bomb, my family really liked it but my filling turned out to be kinda salty and need to adjust or reduce the soysauce and oyster sauce. Maybe next time I’ll put only half of it and substitute the other half with sugar or honey. Thank you so much for the recipe, my 2nd attempt to make siopao turned out to be fine… My daughters favorite!
Hi Lalaine,
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes.
I tried your siopao and said to myself, finally found the soft dough that I have been looking for, even my husband and son liked it.
Though, I just have some questions, how come to other homemade that I usually see in the internet is very smooth? Did they add something to the dough to make it smooth? And regarding the lime/lemon, do I need to add the juice of one lemon to make it smooth or whiter?
Thank you in advance and God bless.
Roma
Hello Roma
You need to keep on kneading the dough until smooth and elastic. When you roll it out, use a rolling pin so the surface flattens well. The lime is to whiten the dough, usually one or two drops is enough. 🙂
hello, thank you for sharing this recipe, this is the dough that i’ve been looking for,soft and fluffy, its perfect but i want to try toasted siopao, the one that is baked.. my question is can i bake it instead?
Hi Shania
I’ve never tried baking these but I don’t see why the dough won’t work baked. Let me know how it turns out 🙂
I’ve baked Siopao and it comes out perfect as well. 350 degrees 20 minutes but needs an egg wash for color.
Thanks for tip, Fewee. 🙂
hi can i use lemon instead of lime? thanks
Yes, you can 🙂
Hi there!
I really like your siopao just by the look of it…I have a lil problem though…my daughter is lactose intolerant,can I replace soya milk instead of cows milk?
DO u have Facebook? coz I don’t have instagram to follow u..
Hello Carolyn
I’ve never really tried using any other type of milk under than homogenized for this recipe so I can’t vouch for results. I don’t see any reason, though, why soy milk won’t work. Yes, please, you can like my FB page and receive updates https://www.facebook.com/kawalingpinoy. Thank you.
I would like to hug you at the moment, thank you so so much! Siopao is my favorite and after six years of living in Italy, I finally had the courage to cook it, yes I have one that I made with my hands. Same taste, same feeling! I just can’t believe it. I skip a few ingredients on the filling recipe as I don’t have it available on my pantry, did not use oyster sauce or star anise, I used bay leaves instead, honey and sugar. A little salty but very similar filling I used to eat back home. Thanks again! You are the best! The dough is the bomb!! My son really loves it too!
You made my day 🙂
Hello, I’ve done your filling and it turned out really good. However, when I was making the dough it didn’t smoothen and still sticky…
Hi Robelyn
I am sorry to hear that. The dough needs to be turned and kneaded for a good while before it becomes smooth and elastic.
Hi! What type of milk did you use? Thanks.
Hello! I tried siopao recipe from other website and it didnt turn up well. Your siopao recipe looks so much better. It must’ve been a successful recipe based on your page comments. I definitely try your recipe tonight! 🙂 One question tho, once i add the yeast mixture into the flour mixture, will the dough form and i no longer need to add water? Thank you so muccchhhh
Hello Melissa
No need to add water. The liquid is only the 260 ml milk 🙂
I made siopao tonight using your recipe I think it was a great success. Thank you very much for sharing this! Will definitely make this again.
I am glad you enjoyed them 🙂
I’ll try it’s one of my favorite back home.
I hope you do 🙂
Thank you for this recipe. I followed exactly what it says. Ito na ang bagong paborito ng asawa ko. More power po sayo.
just saw this recipe and from the comments, it seems promising, most of the siopao I made is like what you described, a majorfail. I will update you on this once i tried it, thanks so much for the recipe 🙂
Hello Grace
I hope you give them a try. So soft and fluffy, I am sure you’ll love these siopao buns 🙂
Will it be possible to give the exact measurement of your 500grams flour and 100grams sugar (in cups is better). I tried to follow your recipe but it wasn’t successful. Thanks.
I am sorry the recipe didn’t work for you. I really recommend for this recipe to weigh ingredients on a kitchen scale for accuracy. Here are the conversions from grams to cups: all purpose is 125 per cup/4 cups=500 grams. Granulated sugar is 100 gms=1/2 cup. Hope this helps.
Hello there ,what is the exact measurement for 260 ml . I mean ,what is the conversion of it .thank you .
Hi Jen,
It’s a little less than 9 ounces.
hi! what milk did you used in this recipe? thank you 🙂
I used homogenized milk.
Hi Lalaine! Thank you for being unselfish in sharing secrets about your siopao recipe…i have been trying different recipes and your dough proportion and procedure were truly soft— my dough always rises! My kids are all happy campers!…The filling, my suggestion to others is try first the recipe (do not double) as you may end up with a lot of sauce; and saltiness maybe intense depending on what type of soy sauce you use.
Made this last night, super yummmm. I’ll never buy siopao again, homemade is still the best, though I skip the star anise ( flavor is too strong for me) instead I used bay leaf, much, much better.
Hello Connie
Aren’t these siopao wonderful? I love, love the bread part, how its soft and fluffy.
I add star anise to achieve the “asado” flavor but please, use substitutions to better suit your taste. I am glad the bay leaf turned out better, will try it my next time with these siopao 🙂
Sarap niyan, I remember my mom always buy this for me as a pasalubong when I way young, almost have it every other day. Kaya eto lumaki ako ng ganito 🙂
That siopao really looks good! I want one now 🙂