Check out this delicious hybrid of two Filipino favorites, the Puto Pao (with asado filling)!
Puto is quite a popular delicacy here in the Philippines. You will commonly find this as being served as an afternoon snack or most especially in special celebrations, such as birthday gatherings, fiestas and other large gatherings.
Since the puto is so common, it is not surprising that we have variations of the said delightful food, and one of these is the combination of the puto and siopao, the Puto Pao! This is a sure hit that will make you crave for more in just one bite.
Continue to read this recipe article below, and learn how to make this exceptional delicacy right now for your friends and your loved ones. There are also some trivia and some trips that are sure to help you along the process of making one.
What is Puto Pao?
Puto is basically a steamed rice cake popularized by the Filipinos. It is commonly eaten as a dessert or a snack, or is partnered with other savory Filipino dishes.
It is traditionally made from a mixture of rice, water, and sugar, and is usually fermented first before steaming them.
But nowadays, making the puto has never been this easy ever since the use of flour became popular. It is actually not a bad substitute as it makes the puto smoother and softer.
Puto pao is one among the many variants of the famous Filipino delicacy–puto, or what is commonly described as the white puto. These variations make use of the base puto mixture and usually just adds different kinds of filling into it.
The puto recipe here is something intriguing because we make the puto with the special pork asado filling inside. The asado is pork meat made with a thick and sweet sauce, using soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar as the main seasonings.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Puto Ingredients
Since puto will essentially be the dough for this pastry, we will be using the same puto ingredients like flour, baking powder, sugar, evaporated milk, and eggs.
Pork
When picking a pork cut, I suggest you use a part with a good amount of fat like pork belly (liempo) or pork loin (pigue).
Aside from these, we will also be using other regular pantry ingredients like onion, garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, black pepper, and cooking oil. If you are filling up your pantry, here’s a handy shopping guide:
Equipment You’ll Need
- Cooking Pan (Kawali)– You will need a cooking pan or any deep pan to cook the asado filling.
- Steamer Pot- Most rice cakes are cooked via steaming, so with this puto pao recipe. You can use a steamer or steamer pot that can hold about 20 puto molds or cook by batch if you have a smaller one. Most rice cookers also have steaming pots with them.
In need of kitchen tools and equipment? Read this before you buy:
How to Make Puto Pao
Making puto pao is a bit similar to making the original plain puto, we just have to add some of the ingredients for the filling. It might seem overwhelming, but it is a pretty straightforward process. Just be mindful of the ratio of the ingredients so no further problems would arise.
For the asado part, what you need to do is to cook the pork and then make the sauce. The sauce needs to be thick and has to have the right amount of sweetness. We make it thicker by using cornstarch.
It is a simple process of cooking, you just have to be mindful of the cooking times to avoid the pork from being overcooked and to avoid the sauce from evaporating too much.
When making the puto, the first thing you have to do is to make two separate mixtures, one for the wet ingredients, and one for the dry ingredients. This is to ensure a smooth workflow.
Once that’s done, just combine the two mixtures while slowly adding in some water until you have a favorable consistency. That’s basically the “hard” part, all that’s left to do is to distribute the mixture into the puto molds and add in our asado ingredients!
Cooking Tips
- If you’re using a metal steamer, be sure to cover the lid with a cheesecloth or kitchen towel. This will keep water from dripping into the batter, preventing uneven and unappealing puto pao.
- Make sure that you maintain a low simmer and avoid boiling the water when steaming. High temperatures can cause the batter to rise unevenly.
- When mixing the puto batter and meringue, avoid over-folding to prevent the collapse of the mixture. Over-folding will result in a dense and firm puto bread, rather than a light and fluffy one.
- To confirm that your puto pao is thoroughly cooked, perform the toothpick test. Insert a clean toothpick into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, then your puto pao is ready to go!
How to Serve Puto Pao
Puto Pao is usually served as a quick snack or merienda. I suggest you serve this warm and pair it with a pancit dish and a glass of soda, juice, or iced tea.
How to Store and Reheat Puto Pao
In case you have leftover puto pao, transfer into a clean food container with lid and refrigerate. This will extend its shelf-life to 3 to 5 days.
To reheat, you can use a microwave oven but the best way is to re-steam it until it becomes soft again.
Other Filipino Snack Recipes
For a quick reference about this recipe, see the recipe table below:
Easy Puto Pao Asado Recipe
Equipment
- Cooking Pan
- Steamer
Ingredients
Puto Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp baking powder
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 3 cups water
- 3 pcs raw egg
- salt, to taste
Asado Ingredients
- 500 g (1.1 lbs) pork, cut into small pieces
- 1 pc onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch, diluted in 2 tbsp water
- 1 cup water
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Asado Instructions
- In a cooking pot, pour-in and heat oil over medium heat.
- Add-in the garlic and onions. Saute until soft and aromatic.
- Add-in the pork, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until lightly browned.
- Pour-in the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and water and then bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes or until pork is tender.
- Add-in the sugar and then pour-in the diluted cornstarch. Mix until the sauce thickens. Set aside.
Puto Instructions
- In a small bowl, beat the eggs, add the evaporated milk and the pinch of salt. Mix them until it’s well-incorporated.
- In a separate large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, white sugar, and baking powder.
- Slowly combine the two separate mixtures together in one bowl. Then carefully add-in the water and mix again until the consistency is thin enough.
- Prepare the puto molds and brush it with cooking oil.
- Pour-in 1 tbsp of puto batter into the mold, and then pour-in 1 tbsp asado mixture. Fill again with puto batter until the mold is ¾ full. Repeat for the rest of the ingredients.
- Steam for 10 minutes. Cover the steamer lid with a piece of cloth to avoid water drips.
- Transfer the finished puto pao in a serving tray or serving plate. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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