Siopao and Siomai through the years

MANILA, Philippines – Time was when Ma Mon Luk was the preferred restaurant for siopao, siomai and mami. It was a favorite stop for people wanting a satisfying and filling meal or snack, including our family. We know of a man who, every time he was in the vicinity of Quezon Boulevard Extension in Quezon City, never failed to take the opportunity to sit down and have a big siopao with a bowl of steaming chicken mami.

And there was also Charlie’s, a tiny Chinese restaurant on Florentino Torres Street in Sta. Cruz, Manila, where newsmen from the publishing house across the street – our parents included – would have their midnight snack. We always looked forward to a take-home brown bag from Inay – siopao was a big favorite.

We have not been to Ma Mon Luk in the past few years and we don’t even know if it is still there. But our occasional craving for mami or siopao is often satisfied by the many siopao, siomai and mami outlets, restaurants and stalls (some in the malls) that have sprouted in practically every corner of a busy center.

Sometime ago, a nephew discovered and raved about the special siopao and siomai being sold at Hen Lin in BF Homes, Parañaque. It was a small restaurant on President Avenue, sandwiched between equally tiny eating places, and it has apparently developed such a large clientele that now it has no less than 151 outlets in Manila and around Luzon. You’ll see Hen Lin stalls in a lot of the malls.

Do not be misled by its name, as we were. Hen Lin is not a Chinese company but is 100 percent Filipino – begun 26 years ago when owners Araceli and Mariano (Jun) Manas developed a friendship with a Chinese chef from Hong Kong who gave them the “secrets” of making siopao and siomai. In the true spirit of entrepreneurship, they decided to establish Hen Lin, named after their children Henry and Lin, although their Chinese friends have told them the sound of this name means “good  labor.”

They had to learn every step of the process, the gentleman of the company recalls. He trained hard to make the tiny siomai with his hands, careful about producing each one in the same size.

A few days ago we had the chance to visit their  three-storey commissary in Ireneville in Parañaque. It is a functional structure that is very clean and bright. The building has a training room, clinic, prayer room, a kitchen and dining area for the trainees and staff.

We were walked through the working area and found out that making siopao, siomai and the other products has been partly mechanized with equipment from Japan and Germany. 

Like any sterilized food processing area, visitors are given a robe, cap, face mask and shoe covers. All the machines are programmed to produce the desired number of items. Uniformed staff monitor each machine, discarding elements or items that may be defective, such as those that would be sorted out by a metal detector. We saw how flour, meat, vegetables and other ingredients are turned into the products that satiate one’s craving for this all-time favorite snack or meal.          

Hen Lin has an extensive list of products – dim sum, the latest of which are those filled with beef and mushrooms; hopia in ube, monggo and baboy flavors; noodles, mami, soups and pancit, with chicken, beef and siomai; rice toppings, including sweet-sour pork and braised beef; congee, combination packs, and breakfast food that includes free coffee.

If one’s budget for a meal or snack is around P100, siopao and siomai, or mami and cuapao will make a satifying and delicious alternative to more pricey food elsewhere. There are many more items, and they will continue to increase their selection. Dining facilities are available in most of their outlets.