Nikuman are Japanese steamed buns usually filled with either savory or sweet filling made out of adzuki beans. These japanese version of steamed buns are very similar to the Chinese baozi, also usually filled either a savory or sweet filling.

These hot food are usually sold in street hawkers or the convenience store in a ready-to-eat heat pack. Here are several brands to lookout for:

Circle K Sunkus

* White curry man
* Squid ink seafood man
* Deli chicken man with mayo-style flavor

Ministop

* Crunchy Chinese seafood man
* Crunchy cheese sausage donut man
* Boiled pork cube crunchy curry man
* Crunchy cheese lasagna man

FamilyMart

* Cream cheese man
* Sakura man
* Choco-man

Lawson

* Milk caramel man

SAVE ON

* Sakura anman
* Beef tendon man
* Jiaozi man

But if you want to make Nikuman at home, it’s is not impossible. Like a lot of asian style cooking, preparation is usually the hardest part of the whole thing. Here’s a very good recipe of steamed buns with pork filling that you can try out during your long weekends:

For the dough:

A:
2C (240g) flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp potato starch
1/2+ tbsp oil
3 tbsp sugar in 4 oz H2O

B:
½ tsp yeast
1 ½ tbsp lukewarm water
½ tsp sugar

1. Combine ingredients A and B and knead for 10 mins. Cover with wet teacloth to proof for 1 to 1.1/2 hours. Punch down and knead at least 20 times. Rest dough for 10 mins. If the dough pulls back, the rest time is insufficient, extend the rest time.

2. Divide dough into 1 oz pieces and fill with chosen filling. As you pleat the closing, be sure not to grease the edges so that the dough will stick.

For a good pork filling:

3T dark soy sauce
3T light soy sauce
1/2c honey
1/2t salt
3T oyster sauce
2T rice wine / sake
3T teriyako sauce
1t five-spice powder
1/2t ground white pepper

1-2 lbs pork tenderloin, loin, or belly cut into strips approx. 2″ thick and 8″ long. (I only used 1lb, but the marinade will easily take 2lb of meat.)

Stir all ingredients together in a deep bowl until honey dissolves.

Poke the pork all over with a skewer and place in the marinade. Turn until well coated. Cover and refridgerate for 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. Set a wire rack over a deep baking tin filled with about an inch of hot water. Place the meat onto the rack, well spaced out. Baste generously and roast for 15 minutes.

Baste the meat once more and roast for another 20 minutes. Baste once more then turn the meat over. Baste generously and roast for another 20 minutes, basting 2-3 times during this period.

Turn the oven up to 200C/Gas Mark 6. Baste the meat one last time. Roast for 15 minutes until the meat is mahogany-coloured and the edges are slightly charred. Remove meat from to a chopping board and leave to rest. Don’t throw away the pan juices, you’ll need some for the filling!

Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of my own for show but I will make sure to post it up when i made Nikuman again. But it would have to be during cooler climate :)

A slab of minced meat, seasoned with spices and tasty seasoning transcends culture. Of course, Hambagu is a very popular part of Youshoku, or Japanese-style western cuisine. Hambagu is a delicious take on the western hamburger with very simple seasoning and doused generously with Tonkatsu sauce. As you can imagine, this version of hamburger patties goes very well with rice or as miniature burgers. Of course, the size of the patties depends on whether you want to make it bigger.

Here’s a very simple recipe from Just Hungry for you to try: Hambaagu or hambagaa:Japanese style Hamburger

Have you ever wondered what Sumo wrestler’s eat to help maintain that weight and energy for their tournaments? They eat this thing called Chanko Nabe, a type of stew that incorporates various meats and vegetables. Needless to say it is high in calories and is absolutely hearty for cold days. It contains a dashi or chicken broth soup base with sake or mirin to add flavor. The bulk of chanko nabe is made up of large quantities of protein sources (usually chicken (quartered, skin left on), fish (fried and made into balls), tofu, or sometimes beef) and vegetables (daikon, bok choy, etc). While considered a reasonably healthful dish in its own right, chankonabe is very protein-rich and usually served in massive quantities, with beer and rice to increase the caloric intake. Leftover chankonabe broth can also later be used as broth for somen or udon noodles.

Here’s a recipe I am keen on trying, even though i am in no hurry to gain weight. Ever. It’s looks pretty yummy and the main protein for this Chanko Nabe is chicken.

* 1 pack udon noodles
* 12 cups chicken stock
* 4 boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 2-inch chunks
* 1 daikon radish, sliced
* 1 potato, sliced
* 2 onions, quartered
* 12 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed removed and quartered (can use reconstituted dried shiitakes, if you like)
* 1 carrot, peeled and sliced into bite-size chunks
* 1 cake fresh tofu (”cotton” or non-silken so it won’t break up on you), cut into small cubes
* 1 cake fresh tofu (also cotton variety), cut into small cubes and fried on all sides in oil til they take on color (if you can find it in the store, get abura-age,which are deep fried thin slices of cotton tofu)
* 1 medium bok choy cabbage, chopped into small pieces
* 1/2 cup soy sauce
* 1/2 cup mirin (sweet sake)
* 2 teaspoons salt

Garnish: gratings of that racy, narcotic shichimi, if you can get your hands on it

Cook the udon noodles according to directions, drain, and reserve.

Bring water to boil in a saucepan, then add the sliced daikon and potato and parboil for a few minutes. Drain, refresh with cold water, and reserve.

Bring the chicken stock to a boil, add all the vegetables (not including the daikon and potato or the cabbage), chicken, and two kinds of tofu and simmer until the fresh vegetables are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Add the daikon, potato, and cabbage and simmer 5 more minutes.

Season the broth with soy sauce, mirin, and salt to taste, simmer a few more minutes.

Place the cooked udon noodles in deep soup bowls, then ladle the soup over them and serve piping hot, passing the shichimi separate, to grate over the soup to taste.

Recipe from HERE..

I love stews and nikujaga is no exception. One thing I keep changing about this meat and potato stew is the fact that there isn’t enough vegetables in it. Oh well, just add peas or carrots or spinach if you like but the basic is really all you need to know before you can change it to your taste. It’s especially easy to make nikujaga, all you need is the basic soy sauce, sugar and onion. And the rest of the dish’s umami-ness comes from the meat and the potatoes. If you have shitake mushrooms or any kind of mushrooms at all, add it into your nikujaga. It’s a perfect blend with the meat and potatoes.

You will have to excuse me, I love dressing up my meals :D This dish would warm you up during these cold wintry days and if you want, eat it with kimchi - it’s always my favorite combo.

Anyway, the basic ingredients are these:

* 2 medium size Potatoes
* 500 g Beef or pork: thin sliced
* 1 Onion, sliced
* 1-2 tbsp Sugar
* 2 tbsp Soya sauce
* Japanese katsuo soup stock (benito) (optional)

Method:
1. Cut you potatoes into small chunks.
2. Heat pan, add oil and saute your onions. Add your meat in now and then potatoes.
3. Season with 2 tablespoons of soya sauce and 1-2 tablespoon of sugar. I would start with one first to test.
4. Saute the ingredients together and then add 2 cups of water. Flavor with bonito now, if you’re using any, and let it simmer.
5. Add vegetables of your choice or mushrooms when it starts to simmer and cover to cook for up to 1 hour so your meat will be tender and your potatoes are soft.

Check out this video as well:

She’s added more ingredients in, so just follow your tastebuds. Mirin is an exceptional choice of seasoning to give your stew a more rounded flavor.