Filipino Steamed Buns, "Siopao"

Last Friday, I made some Filipino steamed buns called siopao. I made two different kinds but on this post I will share about the siopao filled with meat and boiled eggs. Siopaos are made of dough bread, then you fill it inside with either meat or sweet fillings. It is similar to Chinese steamed buns. Instead of baking the bread in the oven, you cook it by steaming.

I was supposed to make a Pork Asado siopao but I mistakenly grab the frozen ground beef to thaw instead of the ground pork. So it became Beef Asado! I added some cut boiled eggs for the filling, too. Asado here is different from the Argentinian barbecue style, Filipino asado is a term we used for cooking our meat sweet and salty style. The meat is cooked with a mixture of oyster, soy, and hoisin sauces added with sugar and salt to taste. And what comes out is the asado meat filling, a combination of a little sweetness and saltiness. Oops, I'm drooling now. 

So basically you flatten the dough you made after proofing it. Then you put a spoonful or more of the asado filling and then the sliced egg and then seal the bun. Once all the buns are made you steam it for at least 30 minutes.

You can eat the steamed buns warm or cold. I prefer to eat it warm with catsup. You can have it for snacks or even for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It actually fills you up. It is just like eating bread and meat but all in one. 

I made more buns than we can consume for one time so I freeze the others. If I need to eat it, I will just put it in the microwave, cover it in wet paper towel and it will be warm. Or I can steam it again. It will taste like freshly made.

My kiddos loved it! So it was worth all the muscle exercise I did while kneading the dough, lol. But hubby still finds it exotic. Good for me, I will have more to eat, lol. If you like to make siopao, just google it and a lot of other great bloggers have great recipes for it. 

The siopao with the beef asado and boiled egg filling.

Special Turon (Ripe Banana Wrapped in Egg Roll Wraps)

I had some very ripe plantains at home today. I didn't know what to do with it. It is such a waste if I will throw it again, since a plantain is .75 cents per piece. I had three pieces left, so that would be $2.25. In this economy, we should try our best to save in any way we can.

So that made my brain worked, hehe. I looked in the freezer and found some egg roll wrappers. It made me think of turon. "Turon" is a favorite Filipino snack in the Philippines. It looks like egg rolls but instead of the meat or veggies inside, it has sweet banana and other sweet ingredients. It is more like a dessert type of food and also good by itself for snacks. Anyway, going back to this morning, I took out the wrappers to thaw and checked in the pantry for some jackfruit in a can and found one. Seems like I'm lucky today. I had a leftover purple sweet potato that I boiled in the morning for my breakfast, so I thought why not make use of it,too. Instead if using purple yam or ube, I used my sweet purple potato. It has the same color and texture.

So I got all my ingredients ready after my egg roll wrapper thawed. I had the wrappers, julienned jackfruit, mashed sweet potato with sugar, and the sliced plantains.

I just put all the ingredients together in the middle of the egg roll wrapper and then wrapped it burrito style but sealing it at the end with water.

Preheat a deep pan and some oil on it, enough to deep fry the turon. Fry it until the turon is golden brown. My kids enjoyed it!:)

Homemade Sweet Bread

Craving Siomai Today

I was watching TFC (The Filipino Channel) the other day and the show I was watching was showing different kinds of Chinese foods. One of my favorite foods when I was still in the Philippines was shown, the siomai. I haven't cooked siomai in a while now. Just couldn't find the time and I am getting lazy these days especially with two kids, lol! But after the show I started craving siomai. I remember way back in the Philippines that I could eat siomai nonstop (though I need to stop because it's expensive, lol, I can't afford to buy more). I'm just so glad that being away from the Philippines made me independent that I was able to try to make siomai by myself here in the US. With research and cooking channels to watch, I was able to experiment on making it and found a way to make my own recipe.

Anyway, after watching that show, I kept dreaming about siomai, but I couldn't make it because I don't have ground pork at home and our shopping day will still be on Tuesday. I was relieved that yesterday my hubby had to pass by Walmart to get some items that I was able to let him get some ground pork, too. Thank goodness! So today, I was able to make siomai and satisfy my cravings. I'll be good for a few months now. I made like 36 pieces today. My hubby likes siomai, too, so I bet we will eat these all up tonight.

If you guys are craving siomai, too, check my other post for the SIOMAI recipe .

Dinuldog or Ginataang Halu-halo Recipe

Ingredients:

1 can coconut milk or about 2 cups(divide into two portions:the other half will be mixed with water)
1/2 cup sweet rice
Sliced,ripe bananas
Sliced, sweet potatoes or camote
Bilo-bilo or sweet rice balls
Shreds of langka or jackfruit
2 cups Water
About a cup or more of Brown Sugar

PROCEDURE:

Boil 2 cups of water and half of the coconut milk.

Add the sweet rice into the boiling water and stir to avoid forming lumps. Continue boiling for about 5 minutes until the rice is almost soft but not completely cooked.

Add the sugar, dissolve completely (add as much sugar you want). Then add the shreds of langka.If you are using the jackfruit in a can,you can add the syrup in it,too.

Next, put the sweet potatoes or camote, stir and simmer for at least 3 minutes.

Then, add the ripe bananas and then the bilo-bilo. stir again and let it simmer until the rice,bananas,camote, and bilo-bilo are cooked.You will know that the bilo-bilo's are cooked when it floats to the surface.Stir it from time to time to avoid scorching.

Lastly add the remaining coconut milk. Stir and let it boil.(If the consistency is too thick,add a bit of water)

Add a little salt to balance the sweetness.Just a pinch.

Serve.