Destination
Manila
The story
Siomai is the Philippines' answer to shumai and one of the country's most-eaten snacks: open-top pork-and-prawn dumplings, wrapped in thin wheat wrappers, steamed in bamboo baskets for 12 minutes and served with a small dish of chili-garlic-calamansi soy sauce for dipping. Sold at every Filipino carinderia, every Chinese-Filipino restaurant and every Manila 7-Eleven (yes, really), siomai is the country's default 4pm merienda snack. Portions come as 4 or 6 pieces with a small ladle of dipping sauce and a wedge of calamansi. Eaten with a spoon and fork or with chopsticks; some Filipinos add a splash of banana ketchup or a spoon of chili oil.
Method
In a large bowl, combine all filling ingredients. Mix thoroughly with your hands for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is well combined and slightly sticky. Rest 15 minutes so the flavours penetrate.
Cook a teaspoon of filling in a pan 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the raw filling with more salt, pepper or soy sauce.
Set out the wonton wrappers under a damp towel. Have a small bowl of water beside you for wetting the fingers.
Hold a wrapper in your left hand. Place a heaped tbsp of filling in the middle. Pull the sides of the wrapper up around the filling, folding the corners naturally into small pleats around the sides — the filling should peek out at the top. Press the wrapper against the filling on the sides so it's snug. Do not seal the top; siomai are open-top dumplings. Repeat until you have 40.
Traditional Filipino siomai has a tiny mound of finely-grated carrot placed on top of the filling in each dumpling — a classical visual mark. Add a small pinch to each if you want the classical look.
Line the bamboo steamer with baking paper (with holes) or cabbage leaves. Arrange the siomai standing upright with 1cm spacing (they'll expand). Brush the tops lightly with oil. Place the steamer over a wok of simmering water. Cover. Steam 12 to 15 minutes until the filling is firm to the touch and cooked through.
Whisk together all dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Divide into 6 small bowls for serving.
Slide the hot siomai into 6 small serving dishes (5 to 7 pieces per person). Serve with dipping sauce, calamansi wedges, chili oil (optional) and extra coriander. Diners dip each siomai in the sauce and eat in one or two bites.
Tips
- Fatty pork. Twenty percent fat is the target. Very lean pork gives you tight, chewy siomai. Fatty pork stays juicy through steaming.
- Wonton wrappers, thick style. Filipino siomai uses the thicker yellow wonton wrappers (not the paper-thin white spring-roll wrappers). Any Asian grocer sells them.
- Open-top, not sealed. Do not pinch the top closed. This is what distinguishes siomai from a regular dumpling — the exposed filling on top.
- Steam 12 minutes minimum. Under-cooked siomai are pink in the middle. Twelve minutes over vigorous steam is the sweet spot; up to 15 for larger dumplings.
- Chili-calamansi-soy dip is essential. This is what makes siomai taste Filipino. Do not serve with plain soy sauce or with a Cantonese black vinegar — the flavour is wrong.
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