Pork and Shrimp Siomai
Siomai
Learn how to make Filipino pork and shrimp siomai with shiitake mushrooms, open-faced wonton wrappers, and a sticky savory filling for steaming.
Serves 6 · 55m total
The Story
Siomai traces back to Chinese shaomai and Cantonese siu mai—open-topped dumplings built from seasoned meat wrapped in thin dough and steamed until juicy. Chinese traders and migrants brought dim sum culture to the Philippines long before it became everyday street food. In Manila, especially around Binondo and later in Chinoy communities across Luzon, siomai moved from restaurant steamers to sidewalk carts, school canteens, and merienda tables.
Filipino siomai is not a direct copy of Hong Kong dim sum. Local cooks leaned into ground pork, added shrimp for sweetness and bounce, and folded in shiitake for depth. The wrapper is often pleated halfway up the sides so the filling stays visible on top, then finished with green onion or fried garlic. That look became the Filipino standard: plump, savory, and easy to eat with a small cup of soy sauce, calamansi, and chili.
Over time, siomai split into many local styles. Classic pork-shrimp siomai is the baseline. Some vendors sell fried siomai for extra crunch. Others add cheese, quail egg, or more shrimp on top for party trays. Japanese-Filipino chains made siomai a fast-food staple, while home cooks steam batches in bamboo baskets lined with parchment, just like puto and kakanin. Whether sold by the piece on the street or served at a birthday handaan, siomai shows how Chinese technique became Filipino comfort food.
Best paired with
Soy sauce with calamansi and siling labuyo, hot tea or black coffee, and pancit or lugaw for a full merienda spread.
Lola's Tips
- ✦Chill the mixed filling for 20 to 30 minutes before wrapping. Cold filling is easier to shape and steams with a firmer, bouncier texture.
- ✦Soak dried shiitake until soft, then squeeze out water and mince fine so every bite has mushroom flavor without chewy chunks.
- ✦Do not overfill each wrapper. A rounded tablespoon is enough, or the siomai can split while steaming.
- ✦Leave space between pieces in the steamer and use perforated parchment so steam circulates and wrappers do not stick.
- ✦Steam on steady medium-high heat. Hard boiling water can make wrappers gummy on the outside before the filling is fully cooked.
Substitutions
- shrimp → more ground pork, or chopped fish cake for budget siomai
- dried shiitake → fresh shiitake or wood ear mushrooms, minced small
- wonton wrappers → molo wrappers cut into squares, or store siomai skins
- ground pork → ground chicken for a lighter version
Ingredients
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Instructions
- 1
Soak dried shiitake in hot water for 20 minutes until soft. Squeeze dry, remove stems, and mince very fine. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the soaking liquid.
- 2
In a large bowl, combine ground pork, chopped shrimp, shiitake, carrot, onion, garlic, and half of the green onion. Add egg, cornstarch, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, black pepper, and the reserved mushroom liquid.
- 3
Mix vigorously in one direction for 2 to 3 minutes until the filling turns sticky and holds together when pressed. Cover and chill for 20 to 30 minutes. This binding step is what gives Filipino siomai its signature bouncy bite.
- 4
Cut wonton wrappers into squares if needed. Hold one wrapper in your palm, add a rounded tablespoon of filling in the center, and pleat the sides halfway up around the filling while leaving the top open. Press the base flat so the siomai stands upright.
- 5
Line a bamboo steamer with perforated parchment or cabbage leaves and brush lightly with oil. Arrange siomai upright with space between each piece. Repeat until all filling is used.
- 6
Bring steamer water to a rolling boil, then place the basket over the pot. Steam on medium-high heat for 12 to 15 minutes until the filling is firm and the shrimp turns pink.
- 7
Remove the steamer basket carefully, top siomai with remaining green onion, and serve hot with soy sauce, calamansi, and chili on the side.
Kitchen Timer · 40 min prep first
15:00
