Nikuman (Japanese Steamed Pork Buns)
Asian steamed dumplings filled with ground pork, shiitake mushrooms and cabbage known as Nikuman or Butaman.

Recipe Keywords:
nikumanbutamanjapanesesteamedporkbunsbreaddairyfreeasianappetizersground
servings: 8
total time: 2 hours
recipe by: Frankie
Ingredients
- Dough:
- 2/3 cup warm water
- 1 packet active dry yeast (2 tsp)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 TBSP vegetable oil plus a little extra
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Filling:
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 2 shiitake mushrooms (or dried shiitakes rehydrated), chopped
- 1 green onion, sliced thin
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 1 TBSP sake
- 1 TBSP mirin
- 1 TBSP soy sauce
- 1 tsp minced ginger root
- 1 TBSP corn starch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Directions
- DOUGH:
- Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- In a stand mixer bowl or large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour in the oil and the water/yeast mixture and combine thoroughly.
- If using a stand mixer knead the dough with a dough hook until dough becomes elastic and pulls away from the sides or knead dough by hand for about 5 minutes.
- Lightly oil a separate large bowl, form the dough into a ball and flip around in the bowl to cover in oil. Loosley cover the bowl and set aside in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour
- FILLING:
- Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- ASSEMBLE AND COOK:
- Divide the dough into 8 equal size dough balls. Flatten the balls into 5 inch rounds.
- Divide the filling in 8 equal size balls and place each one in the center of each dough round. Pull the sides of the dough up press together to seal then lightly twist and pinch to ensure its sealed.
- Boil water in a large pot over medium-high heat. Place a steamer basket or colander over the pot making sure that the water is not touching the basket.
- Place a small piece of parchment paper under each bun and spread out in the basket/colander (youll probably have to cook them batches), cover and steam for about 15 minutes or until pork is cooked through.