Pork SioMai (Pork Dumplings)

Siomai is of Chinese origin, adapted by several Southeast Asian countries, to suit its rather diverse palate.  Originally, a cantonese afternoon snack, sio mai is served in a typical chinese dimsum, where food is served in small individual portions, usually pushed in carts. It used to be associated with the Chinese tradition of tea-tasting called yum cha.

In the Philippines however, siomai is a typical starter/appetizer or afternoon snack equivalent to the fishballs, squidballs that are pushed by street vendors outside schools and offices.  Siomai can be had anywhere, from street stalls, to fast food and chinese restaurant chains that are open almost 24 hours a day.  However, for top quality sio mai, it is expected that one must visit the reputable dim sum restaurants lining the streets of Binondo, in Chinatown.

As requested by my good friend and culinary princess, Anna, of Una Semplice Passione, here is a recipe of this chinese staple! Happy dim sum-ing!
Ingredients:
500g ground pork
250g peeled shrimps, diced
1cup carrots, diced
3 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp ground pepper (white)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
2 tbs all purpose flour
50 pcs wanton wrappers
Procedure:
1. Season meat and mix all ingredients together. Beat eggs and knead into meat to bind.
2. Dust with flour gradually and continue mixing.
3. Spoon a tablespoon of filling into wrapper and arrange in steamer.
4. Steam the dumplings for 20-30 minutes in low fire.
5. Serve with chili garlic oil and lime.
While it is predominantly served steamed, there is also a possibility to deep fry or bake siomai. Or in the absence of wanton wrappers, the filling can also be used to make lumpiang shanghai, which is a Filipino way of making egg rolls (loempia).

Carts

Siomai Recipe

Siomai also called pork dumpling is a tasty Chinese dumpling that is now popular for many Filipinos

             Because of its unique taste and one of the easiest to make, siomai has become one of the booming food cart businesses in the country.
                   Siomai has a lot of variations and you can make your own homemade siomai like fish siomai, chicken siomai and beef siomai among others. The secret in having a soft, tasty siomai is that the ground meat should have some fat otherwise the cooked siomai will be too tough. Prawns or shrimps can be substituted for part of the pork if desired.
Siomai is commonly eaten with a dip composed of a mix of soy sauce, calamansi extract, and chili sauce. The “Original Siomai sa Tisa”, one of my favorite, is very popular in Cebu, it comes with a siomai chili sauce, which has a spicy flavor that complements the dish, partnered with puso (hanging rice) and soft drink.

Siomai Recipe

Ingredients: 
1 kg ground pork (suggested proportion of fat to lean meat is 1:3)
1/3 cup chopped water chestnuts or turnips (singkamas)
3/4 cup chopped carrots
2 tbsp or 4 cloves minced garlic
2 medium or 1 large minced onion(s)
bunch of spring onions or leeks
1 egg
5 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt
5 g seasonings
50 pcs. large or 100 pcs. small wanton or siomai wrapper
Soy sauce, calamansi (lemon or kumquats), sesame oil and chilli paste (for the sauce)

Siomai Cooking Instructions:
- Mix all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl.
- Arrange 10 wrappers in a tray, and weigh 100 g of siomai mixture. Place 2 tsp of meat in each wrapper until nothing is left unfilled. Each wrapper will have 10 grams of siomai.
- To enclose, gather up the edges of the wrapper and gently fold it so that it forms a basket shape, with the top of the filling exposed. Press lightly as you pleat each side. Or, if you don’t want to expose the filling, use a bigger wrapper. Do the same to the remaining meat mixture.
- Meanwhile, boil water and brush steamer with oil.
- When the water gets to a rolling boil, arrange the siomai in the steamer and let stand for 15-20 minutes, longer for larger pieces.
- Serve with soy sauce, calamansi and sesame oil. Chilli paste is optional.

Chili Sauce for Siomai:

* 1/8 kilo Chillies (Siling Labuyo)
* 3 tablespoons cooking oil
* 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
* dried shrimp or meat finely chopped or grind (Adds more flavor but optional)

Siomai Chilli Sauce Cooking Instruction:

- Combine chopped chillies, dried shrimp or meat and minced garlic then simmer for around 20 minutes or till most of the water has evaporated. Add oil, simmer and stir well.

Put your cooked Siomai in a nice packaging when planning to sell it. Siomai can be marketed in schools, offices, or to your neighbors.