Nikuman (Japanese Steamed Pork Buns)

Nikuman is a popular Japanese snack inspired by Chinese baozi. This delicious steamed bun is made with juicy pork and finely chopped vegetables encased in a soft and fluffy dough. In this post I will teach you everything you need to know to make the ultimate nikuman from scratch at home, so let’s get started!

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What is Nikuman?

Nikuman is a steamed bun dish consisting of a juicy meat and vegetable filling wrapped in a soft and fluffy dough made by kneading and resting flour, water, sugar, yeast and baking powder to give it the perfect rise. Often called “buta-man” in the Kansai region, nikuman is most commonly made with pork and is a favorite winter snack found in Japanese convenience stores.

The filling usually contains onions, bamboo shoots, and shiitake mushrooms, with extras like dried scallops, oyster sauce, and even shark fins for an extra burst of flavor in addition to pork.

Brief history of nikuman

Nikuman, a type of “chuka man” or Chinese-style bun, is inspired by China’s baozi. In Japan, the filling has developed in its own unique way and has been loved for many years.

Although it’s unclear when nikuman first arrived in Japan, steamed buns likely started in Chinatown and specialty shops. In 1927, “Shinjuku Nakamuraya” adapted them for Japanese tastes, giving nikuman a history of at least 80-years in Japan.

Nikuman as we know it today is closer to the Shinjuku Nakamuraya’s version than the original Chinese baozi.

Convenience store and nikuman

Nikuman is a winter favorite in Japanese convenience stores, just like oden. I remember warming up with hot nikuman after hanging out with friends when I was a student. Even to this day, I can’t go through winter without enjoying a nikuman from my local convenience store.

Convenience stores (known as “combini” for short) first started selling steamed buns in the 1970s, when convenience stores themselves began to spread. The endless popularity of nikuman began when they were first sold at “Sun Avery” now renamed to “Daily Yamazaki”.

Today, in addition to meat buns, convenience stores sell all sorts of variations of steamed dumpling including an man (red bean paste dumpling), curry man and even “pizza man” filled with tomato sauce and cheese. If you visit Japan in the winter, be sure to try the nikuman at a convenience store to warm up!

Nikuman vs baozi: what are the differences?

Baozi, a Chinese dim sum, is known as chuka-man in Japan. In other words, from a broad perspective, nikuman is a Japanese derivative of baozi. Considering that nikuman is a Japanese version of baozi, it makes sense that the appearance is the same.

Though they look alike, the most notable difference is the dough. Chinese baozi’s dough is quite plain, while Japanese nikuman dough has a mildly sweet, milky taste that even surprises Chinese people.

The fillings and seasonings differ as well. Plus, Japanese nikuman are typically enjoyed as a snack or light meal, rarely as part of a meal.

Ingredients to make homemade Japanese steamed pork buns

Honestly, perfecting this recipe took lots of tries. The variety of spices might seem overwhelming, but trust me, it’s easy to make. I’m especially confident that I have created a really great dough!

Buns/dough

First, the ingredients needed for buns/dough are as follows:

• Weak/cake flour
• Strong flour (like bread flour)
• Sugar
• Salt
• Dry yeast
• Baking powder
• Lukewarm water
• Milk

The secret to fluffy bun dough is making it rise like a cake. Adding baking powder is crucial for this. Baking powder creates carbon dioxide gas when mixed with moisture and heat, making the dough fluffy and soft.

In my recipe, I use both baking powder and dry yeast. You can use dry yeast alone, but it takes longer than just using baking powder. Also, kneading with lukewarm water can promote the generation of carbon dioxide gas.

I also recommend adding milk, which not only makes the dough easier to chew, but also gives the buns a milky, slightly sweet flavor!

Filling

Next, the filling ingredients are as follows:

• Pork mince
• Onion
• Boiled bamboo shoot
• Shiitake mushroom
• Wood ear mushroom
• Grated fresh ginger (or ginger paste)
• Grated garlic cloves (or garlic paste)
• Soy sauce
• Oyster sauce
• Miso paste
• Sesame oil
• Sake
• Sugar
• Honey
• Black vinegar
• Salt
• White pepper
• Chinese chicken stock powder (I use Youki’s chicken bouillon powder)
• Water + starch slurry (either potato starch or corn starch)

It’s a long list of ingredients, but when you actually look at it, most of them are condiments. Up next, I’ll share some alternatives to some of these particular ingredients.

Substitution ideas

Like I always say, you don’t need the exact same ingredients to make my recipes. I rather believe that the essence of cooking is to adapt a recipe by substituting local ingredients or ingredients you can easily get in your area, if possible. Local production for local consumption is the best.

Still, some ingredients and condiments are essential. In this section, I will suggest some substitutes and alternatives for this recipe.

• Carrots instead of bamboo shoots – achieves a similar crunch.
• Your local or favourite mushroom for shiitake mushroom – all mushrooms have unique qualities, so why not experiment with different kinds?
• White wine or dry sherry for sake
• Rice vinegar or apple vinegar for black vinegar – a small amount of vinegar adds depth to the filling.
• Black pepper instead white pepper
• Regular chicken soup stock powder instead of Chinese chicken stock powder, while Western chicken soup stocks tend to be a bit more herby, it still create a delicious flavour in your filling!

Instructions on how to make nikuman at home

The list of instructions and ingredients might look long, but actually, nikuman is surprisingly easy to make at home! Here I will list my step by step instructions with pictures for an easy to follow guide, alternatively check out the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page!

Activate the yeast

Start by pouring warm water into a jug and then adding the dry yeast and sugar. Mix well and wait a few minutes for it to become foamy.

I recommend warming the milk slightly too, even if it’s just to room temperature. (Cold milk might hinder the yeast.)

Mix the dry ingredients

Sift the cake flour and strong flour into a large mixing bowl and add salt and baking powder. Mix well until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Form a dough

After the yeast has foamed up, make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the contents of the jug into the well. Add the milk here too.

Mix together to form a rough dough and tip it out onto a lightly floured surface.

Knead until smooth, place it back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. It’s important to keep it covered since moisture in the air can affect the rise.

Leave it in a warm place to rise until it has doubled in size.

Nikuman filling

Start by finely dicing all of the vegetables. They should be small enough that each ingredient spreads evenly throughout the filling, but big enough that they still have a bit of texture.

Heat a large pan on medium and add a drizzle of sesame oil. Add the vegetables and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.

Next, add soy sauce, oyster sauce, miso paste, black vinegar sake, sugar, honey, salt, pepper and Chinese chicken stock powder and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed into the mixture.

In a separate bowl, mix 1 tsp of potato starch (or corn starch) with 1 tbsp of cold water to make a slurry. Turn off the heat and pour the slurry into the pan, mix thoroughly until the mixture becomes slightly thickened and glossy.

Transfer the filling to a container and leave it to cool.

Mix the pork mince and lard in a mixing bowl. Once the vegetables are cool to the touch, add them to the bowl and mix until evenly distributed throughout the filling.

Cover with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to rest until the dough is ready.

Shape the dough

Once the dough has doubled in size, knock the air out and roll it into a cylinder.

Cut the cylinder into approximately 60g (about 2oz) pieces.My recipe makes 4, but if you’ve doubled or tripled the recipe, cut it into 8 or 12.

Shape each piece so they’re round and cover them with plastic wrap or a clean damp tea towel.

Allow to rest for 15 minutes. This resting time helps loosen the dough so that it’s easier to shape.

Assemble the nikuman

Flatten out each piece of dough with your palm and then use a rolling pin to roll it flat to about 5mm (1/4 inch) thick.

Use the rolling pin to thin out the edges all the away around. Since the top will be gathered, the edges should be thinner to prevent the top from becoming too thick and doughy. In other words, the centre should be about 5mm thick while the edges should be only be about 2mm thick.

Take the filling out of the fridge and divide it into equal portions (approx 60g/2oz each). Roll each portion into a rough ball and place it in the centre of the dough.

Now I will warn you that my method of folding is not an authentic way, but it’s so easy that you can’t fail! Even if you’re a beginner, you can get this folding method on the first try!

Start by bringing the top and bottom edges to meet in the middle of the filling and pinch them together. Do the same with the left and right edges.

Then repeat diagonally with each pair of parallel corners.

To fully ensure the nikuman is sealed, twist the middle point.

This will also move the folds and improve the appearance!

Place each completed nikuman on a small piece of baking paper and then place inside the steaming basket.

Once they’re all complete, add the lid and rest for another 15 minutes.

Steam

Once the 15 minutes resting time is up, fill a pot with (cold) water and place the steaming basket with the nikuman on top. Bring the water to a boil over a high heat and then once it’s bubbling, turn the heat down to medium and set a timer for 13 minutes.

By starting with cold water, the temperature is brought up gradually and the dough grows more smoothly. This prevents holes and the nikuman becoming misshapen.

Once the timer is up, remove the lid immediately (no need to wait!) and enjoy your freshly steamed homemade Japanese nikuman!

Storage

The first rule of storing nikuman is to cook it first. Freezing them before they’re cooked can cause the dough to fail to expand and cause the skin to become tough when defrosted and steamed.

Refrigerate

If you don’t need to store the steamed buns for a long period of time, you can keep them in the refrigerator; however, for best flavor and texture, the storage period should be limited to 24 hours, and freezing is better for longer storage.

When stored in the fridge, the buns tend to lose moisture, causing dry and hard skin, so for the best texture, store in an airtight container and sprinkle with a little water before reheating.

Freeze

Once cooked, allow the nikuman to cool and then wrap each one individually in plastic wrap before freezing.

Frozen nikuman can be stored for about one month.

As I mentioned, steam the buns before freezing them. After steaming, let them cool, wrap each one in plastic wrap, and freeze. When you’re ready to eat, it is best to reheat them with a steamer, but you can also microwave them with a few drops of water in the plastic wrap. In this case, 600W for about 2 minutes is just right.

If frozen, nikuman can be stored for about one month.

Reheating

Whether chilled or frozen, you can reheat nikuman either by steaming again or in the microwave. Steaming is the best method for keeping the original moist and fluffy texture, but microwaving is a great time saver.

For chilled, steam for 5-8 minutes or microwave for about 1 minute at 600W.

From frozen, steam for approximately 10 minutes or microwave for about 3 minutes at 500W.

I hope you enjoy making Japanese nikuman at home. If you try the recipe, let me know what you thought in the comments below! Happy cooking!

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