Ever since my mother affectionately called my daughter “siopao face” for her adorably pinchable puffy cheeks, I’ve been reminiscing about visits to the Philippines and the delicious stuffed buns that inspired the nickname. Siopao (pronounced show-pow) literally means “steamed buns” and is popular Filipino snack with Chinese origins, frequently sold by sidewalk vendors in the Philippines. It can be eaten on-the-go without need of utensils, and there are many varieties based on the filling - beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, egg. The dough is yeast-y, almost sweet, and so delicious fresh from the steamer.
My mother and I made a batch of these recently, and by the time the last ones were finished steaming, almost half of them were already gone! Rather than make dough from scratch, we took a shortcut by using Pillsbury biscuits. We already had some shredded barbecue chicken on hand, so it wasn’t too long before we were munching on these delicious steamed buns!
Peel the biscuits in half (there will be a natural separation point), then flatten them out into discs about 4in in diameter (keep the center a little thicker than the edges).
Place about 1 TBSP of barbecue chicken in the center of each disc, then bring up the sides and pinch together at the top, giving a little twist to seal the dough.
Cut small ~2 inch squares of wax or parchment paper and place each bun on its own square. This will help keep the siopao from sticking to the steamer when cooking. Place buns in a steamer with at least 1 inch of space between them (they will almost double in size) and steam in batches, 10 minutes at a time, until all the buns are done.
Remove from heat, and peel off wax paper as soon as possible (it is a little easier to remove when the buns are warm). Let cool for 5-10 minutes (if you can wait that long!), then dig in!
*To make barbecue chicken: see directions here for cooking chicken breast, then shred and toss with your favorite barbecue sauce and a dash of garlic in a pan over medium heat, letting the meat simmer for 5-10 minutes.
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My mother and I made a batch of these recently, and by the time the last ones were finished steaming, almost half of them were already gone! Rather than make dough from scratch, we took a shortcut by using Pillsbury biscuits. We already had some shredded barbecue chicken on hand, so it wasn’t too long before we were munching on these delicious steamed buns!
Ingredients: (makes 16 buns)
1 can (8-count) Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers Original Biscuits (we used reduced fat)
~1 cup barbecue chicken, shredded (see note at the end)
Peel the biscuits in half (there will be a natural separation point), then flatten them out into discs about 4in in diameter (keep the center a little thicker than the edges).
Place about 1 TBSP of barbecue chicken in the center of each disc, then bring up the sides and pinch together at the top, giving a little twist to seal the dough.
Cut small ~2 inch squares of wax or parchment paper and place each bun on its own square. This will help keep the siopao from sticking to the steamer when cooking. Place buns in a steamer with at least 1 inch of space between them (they will almost double in size) and steam in batches, 10 minutes at a time, until all the buns are done.
Remove from heat, and peel off wax paper as soon as possible (it is a little easier to remove when the buns are warm). Let cool for 5-10 minutes (if you can wait that long!), then dig in!
~Karla
*To make barbecue chicken: see directions here for cooking chicken breast, then shred and toss with your favorite barbecue sauce and a dash of garlic in a pan over medium heat, letting the meat simmer for 5-10 minutes.
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Delicious steamy barbecue chicken buns!http://cooksofcakeandkindness.blogspot.com/2016/01/barbecue-chicken-siopao.html
Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Friday, January 29, 2016
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