Salapao Steamed Buns Made by Thai Street Vendor

How To Make Steamed Buns Like a Thai Vendor

The version featured in our street vendor video above is made with bamboo, dried shrimp and various Thai spices. The recipe below is how we prepared it, with pork.

Ingredients for the meat filling

1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 tablespoon fresh shallot, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Thai pepper powder
1.5 tablespoons thin soy sauce

Mix the ingredients together, cover, place in fridge and let sit for an hour.

Ingredients for the dough

One 16 oz bag mixed flour for steamed bun
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Knead together for 10 minutes, cover and let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature, then thoroughly knead for an additional 5 minutes.

Method

If you have a kitchen scale, weigh the dough into 40 gram (1.4 oz) pieces. Otherwise roll out your dough and section it into 20 pieces. Next, roll a piece of your dough into a circle, trying to make the center thicker than the outer edge. Place a teaspoon portion of the meat mix into your dough, then lift and turn the dough to form the steamed bun (as shown in video).

We also prepared hard boiled eggs and cut them into 8 equal portions, then put a portion (with yolk part down) on top of the meat mix before sealing up the dough.

Place your buns on a square of wax paper then place into a stacked steamer, cook for about 10 minutes and that's all it takes to make these delicious steamed buns -- Enjoy!