Puto Pao

Puto pao is a steamed cake made with a cake batter consist of cake flour, baking powder, egg whites and sugar and have a meaty filling of ground pork, oil, garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, corn starch, sugar and water. It is normally topped up with slice of boiled salted egg and grated cheese before steaming. This Puto Pao recipe will show you how to make Puto Pao with step by step instruction to make tasty and fluffy Puto Pao for your family.

PUTO PAO

Siopao asado and puto are two of the most favourite Filipino snacks. Can you imagine the power when these two are combined? This cross-over is called Puto Pao. I guess the person who invented this dish cannot choose between the two snacks and therefore fused them together. If you can eat them both at the same time, why not?

Siopao asado is admired due to its sweet and moist meat filling. One of the classic traits of puto is its light and fluffy dough. The puto is used as the bread for the puto pao instead of the buns of the siopao. The best-tasting puto paos are the ones with the touch of genuine love—the ones made at home. Preparing and cooking the puro pao may take you some time, but the results is worth the effort. If the idea of puto pao makes you crave for it now, start making your market list and get ready for some puto pao cooking!

HOW TO COOK PUTO PAO

Cooking the puto pao is like cooking a regular puto but adding some filling inside and more toppings. First, you prepare the asado filling.  The siopao asado filling can be made from any pork cut which is cut into small cubes. For our convenience, we will use ground pork in this recipe. Season the meat by sauteing it in a pan with onions and garlic. When the meat has lightly browned, add the soy sauce, oyster sauce and brown sugar for the classic sweet asado flavor. To make it saucy, let’s add a little slurry. A slurry is made by dissolving cornstarch in water. Stir the asado filling and then set it aside.

Now it’s time to make our puto batter. The classic puto uses rice flour but for our puto pao, we will use cake flour. This can make the puto pao airy and fluffy. Strain all the dry ingredients in a bowl to remove the lumps. Add the water little by little until you achieve the desired consistency. Another ingredient that can make our puto pao soft and fluffy is the meringue.

Crack some eggs and separate the yolks and the whites. For the meringue, we are only gonna use the whites. Whip the egg whites using a mixer until frothy. Gently add the sugar and continue whipping until soft peaks. A technique to know if the egg whites have achieved soft peaks is by flipping the bowl you are using. If the whites are stiff and does not drop, then it is done. Gently fold the meringue into the puto batter into one direction only to incorporate air into the batter. Congrats! The batter is now done. 

The way puto paos are cooked are similar to regular puto. First prepare the puto moulds with liners and fill it with batter. Do not forget the asado filling in the middle and your favourite toppings on top. I put some of the asado fillings as toppings for more meaty goodness. Steam the puto paos for 12 minutes and then do the fork test. Remove the puto paos from the steamer and consume it hot. Best-tasting! Yum! Puto Pao calories will always help us to be healthy and fine. Our nutritious staples will start our day happily.

Watch how to Make Puto Pao

Puto Pao Recipe (TAGALOG)

Para sa asado filling: (para sa 30 malalaking puto)

• ½ kilo giniling na baboy
• 1 kutsarang mantika
• 4 butil ng bawang (hiniwa ng maliliit)
• 1 sibuyas (hiniwa ng maliliit)
• 2 kutsarang toyo
• 2 kutsarang oyster sauce
• 1 kutsarang cornstarch
• 2 kutsarang asukal na pula
• 2 kutsarang tubig

Para sa puto pao: (18 malalaking puto)

• 1 ½ tasang cake flour
• 1 ½ kutsaritang baking powder
• ½ tasang asukal na puti
• ¾ tasang tubig

For the meringue:

• 4 puti ng itlog
• ¼ tasang asukal

Para sa toppings:

• maalat ng itlog (hiniwa ng maninipis)
• grated cheese

PAANO LUTUIN:

1. Para sa asado filling, magpainit ng kawali. Igisa ang sibuyas at bawang. Sunod na ilagay ang giniling na baboy at igisa kasama ang iba pang ingredients. Lutuin ito hanggang sa maging light brown ang giniling. Sunod na ilagay ang toyo, oyster sauce at pulang asukal. Haluin ang mga ito at patuloy na lutuin.
2. Tunawin ang cornstarch sa tubig para makagawa ng slurry. Ilagay at ihalo ang slurry sa asado filling para lumapot.
3. Para sa puto batter, i-strain ang cake flour, baking powder at asukal na puti na isang malaking bowl para maging pino at haluin. Pakonti-konting ilagay ang tubig habang hinahalo hanggang makuha ang tamang lapot.
4. Para makagawa ng meringue, ilagay ang mga puti ng itlog sa isang malaking bowl at i-whip gamit ang high speed. Dahan-dahang idagdag ang asukal habang whini-whip ang meringue. I-whip ang meringue hanggang maabot ang stiff peaks.
5. I-fold ang meringue sa puto batter sa tatlong bahagi. Siguraduhing nahalo ito ng mabuti.
6. Ihanda ang mga puto moulds at lagyan ng cupcake liners. Lagyan ng puto batter ang kalahati ng mould. Sunod na ilagay ang asado filling. Lagyan ng puto batter ang mould hanggang mapuno. Ilagay sa ibabaw ang mga paboritong toppings. Ang mga toppings na ginamit sa recipe na ito ay itlog na maalat (na hiniwa ng maninipis), grated cheese at asado filling.
7. I-ayos ang mga puto pao sa steamer at i-steam ang mga ito ng 10 hanggang 12 minuto. Siguraduhing may balot na tela ang takip ng steamer para walang tumulong tubig sa mga puto.
8. Gawin ang fork test para ma-check kung luto hanggang gitna ang mga puto paos. Ilipat ang mga ito sa lalagyan.
9. Alisin ang cupcake liner bago kainin. Enjoy!