Nikuman [肉まん] are boiled dumplings of Chinese origin, stuffed with pork and other ingredients. One of the typical snacks you can find in convenience stores in Japan. The ones you saw in Kung Fu Panda.
The nikuman is light and soft, usually placed on a piece of wax paper. It can be found in flavors of pork, beef, pizza, cheese, and even in the sweet flavor of anko, azuki bean.
Stores that sell nikuman often have steam surrounding them, attracting a lot of attention on a cold day. This is one of my favorite snacks along with takoyaki.
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Manju - The Origin of Nikuman
The nikuman is a steamed bun. The ingredients are similar to savory pastries and empanadas, but it is steamed instead of baked or fried. Its origin comes from a Chinese savory called baozi [包子].
The name nikuman [肉まん] comes from niku which means meat and man which refers to manju, a typical Japanese sweet quite similar made of anko that is also steamed and made of wheat flour.
The Manju is also inspired by a Chinese bread called mantou [馒头] that was filled with pork and eel. It can also be made from rice flour and buckwheat.
In Japan it originally came filled with red bean paste called anko because of the strong Buddhist influence against carnivorous diets at the time. Over time, the meat bun emerged with the name nikuman.
The origin of manju is uncertain, some claim it arrived through Buddhist monks in 1349, another version says it came in 1241 through travelers who traded under the name naramanju.
The different flavors of Nikuman
There are also several types of nikuman and manju with different fillings:
- Butaman [豚まん] - Popular in Kansai, filled with pork;
- Anman [あんまん]— Nikuman with azuki bean filling;
- Kare-man [カレーまん]— Nikuman filled with kare (curry);
- Cream cheese man - Cream cheese;
- Pizza man - Stuffed with Pizza;
- Choco-man - Filled with chocolate;
These are the most popular flavors, but every convenience store or diner has its flavors and versions. Let's list a few below:
- Circle K Sunkus
- ホワイトカレーまん;
- イカスミ海鮮まん;
- デリチキンまん（マヨネーズ風味）;
- トムヤムクンタイまん;
- Ministop
- Crunchy Chinese seafood man;
- Crunchy queijo salsicha rosquinha homem;
- Boiled pork cube crunchy curry man;
- Crunchy cheese lasagna man;
- Belgian chocolate man;
- FamilyMart
- Cream cheese man;
- Sakuraman;
- Choco-man;
- Chestnut man;
- Habanero Kimchi man;
- Hatsune Miku man;
- Lawson
- ミルクキャラメルマン;
- Save-On
- Sakura anman;
- Beef tendon man;
- Jiaozi man;
- 7-Eleven
- Choco-man;
- Curry-man;
- Pizza-man;
The fillings are endless... There are probably many other popular flavors of nikuman. Especially in restaurants and other snack shops specialized in nikuman like 551 Horai.
Nikuman recipe - prepare your own
Nothing beats preparing your Nikuman, if you have access to all the ingredients, enjoy this recipe.
Ingredients from nikuman:
Nikuman Mass:
- 300 g of wheat flour
- 40 g of sugar
- a bit of salt
- 1 tsp dry bread yeast
- 2 coffee spoons full of baking powder
- 50 ml of milk
- 100 ml of warm water
- 1 tablespoon oil
nikuman stuffing:
- 500 g ground beef (I use pork)
- 1 bunch of finely chopped chives
- 2 tablespoons grated ginger
– 1 bunch of Enoki (a type of mushroom. Here you can also put shiitake)
- salt, black pepper
- 3 tablespoons of sesame oil
- If you want, you can put the yolk of a large egg
Preparation of nikuan:
Step 1: In a container place the wheat flour, sugar, salt, dry yeast, baking powder, milk. Mix with a wooden spoon, slowly adding warm water. Add oil and knead very well (about 15 minutes). The more you knead, the fluffier the dough!!
Step 2: Let the dough rest for about 1 hour, spraying water and covering the dough with plastic wrap.
Step 3: Divide the dough into small portions and open each portion in a round shape, trying to make the peripheral part thinner than the central part.
Step 4: Close the ends of the Nikuman well and place waterproof paper on the bottom. Grease the grid of the steam pan and place the Nikumans spraying with water. Leave to rest for another 40 minutes. When they increase in volume, steam them over high heat for 20-30 minutes
Step 5: Mix everything very well. Rice Vinegar Sauce:
Mix in a container a little rice vinegar, sesame oil, finely chopped chives and red pepper powder. Drip this sauce over the filling when tasting the nikuman!!
Source: https://pt.petitchef.com/
