Home      Discussion      Topics      Dictionary      Almanac
Signup       Login
Nikuman

Nikuman

Overview

Nikuman (肉まん; derived from 肉饅頭 niku (meat) manjū
Manju (food)
is a popular traditional Japanese confection. There are many varieties of manjū, but most have an outside made from flour, rice powder and buckwheat and a filling of an , made from boiled azuki beans and sugar. They are boiled together again and kneaded...

) is a Japanese food made from flour dough
Dough
Dough is a paste made out of any cereals or leguminous crops by mixing flour with a small amount of water and/or other liquid. This process is a precursor to making a wide variety of foodstuffs, particularly breads and bread-based items , including flatbreads, and pancakes, noodles, crusts,...

, and filled with cooked ground pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig . The word pork often denotes specifically the fresh meat of the pig, but can be used as an all-inclusive term which includes cured, smoked, or processed meats It is one of the most-commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig...

 or other ingredients. It is a kind of chūka man (中華まん lit. Chinese-style steamed bun) similar to the Chinese baozi
Baozi
A baozi or simply known as bao, bau, nunu, pow,pau is a type of steamed, filled bun or bread-like item in various Chinese cuisines, as there is much variation as to the fillings and the preparations. In its bun-like aspect it is very similar to the traditional Chinese mantou. It can be filled with...

(包子), Also known in English as pork buns.

Nikuman are steamed and often sold as street food
Street food
Street food is food obtainable from a streetside vendor, often from a makeshift or portable stall. While some street foods are regional, many are not, having spread beyond their region of origin. The food and green groceries sold in farmers' markets may also fall into this category, including the...

. From about August or September, through the winter months until roughly the beginning of April, Chūka man are available at convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store is a small store or shop that sells items such as candy, ice-cream, soft drinks, lottery tickets, newspapers and magazines, along with a selection of processed food and perhaps some groceries. Stores that are part of gas stations may also sell motor oil, windshield washer fluid,...

s, where they are kept hot.
— essentially an equivalent to nikuman, this name is more common in the Kansai region.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Nikuman'
Start a new discussion about 'Nikuman'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum
 
Encyclopedia

Nikuman (肉まん; derived from 肉饅頭 niku (meat) manjū
Manju (food)
is a popular traditional Japanese confection. There are many varieties of manjū, but most have an outside made from flour, rice powder and buckwheat and a filling of an , made from boiled azuki beans and sugar. They are boiled together again and kneaded...

) is a Japanese food made from flour dough
Dough
Dough is a paste made out of any cereals or leguminous crops by mixing flour with a small amount of water and/or other liquid. This process is a precursor to making a wide variety of foodstuffs, particularly breads and bread-based items , including flatbreads, and pancakes, noodles, crusts,...

, and filled with cooked ground pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig . The word pork often denotes specifically the fresh meat of the pig, but can be used as an all-inclusive term which includes cured, smoked, or processed meats It is one of the most-commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig...

 or other ingredients. It is a kind of chūka man (中華まん lit. Chinese-style steamed bun) similar to the Chinese baozi
Baozi
A baozi or simply known as bao, bau, nunu, pow,pau is a type of steamed, filled bun or bread-like item in various Chinese cuisines, as there is much variation as to the fillings and the preparations. In its bun-like aspect it is very similar to the traditional Chinese mantou. It can be filled with...

(包子), Also known in English as pork buns.

Nikuman are steamed and often sold as street food
Street food
Street food is food obtainable from a streetside vendor, often from a makeshift or portable stall. While some street foods are regional, many are not, having spread beyond their region of origin. The food and green groceries sold in farmers' markets may also fall into this category, including the...

. From about August or September, through the winter months until roughly the beginning of April, Chūka man are available at convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store is a small store or shop that sells items such as candy, ice-cream, soft drinks, lottery tickets, newspapers and magazines, along with a selection of processed food and perhaps some groceries. Stores that are part of gas stations may also sell motor oil, windshield washer fluid,...

s, where they are kept hot.

Other varieties of the Japanese chūkaman

— essentially an equivalent to nikuman, this name is more common in the Kansai region. — the ingredients consist of azuki bean
Azuki bean
The azuki bean is an annual vine widely grown throughout East Asia and the Himalayas for its small bean. The cultivars most familiar in north-east Asia have a uniform red color, but white, black, gray and variously mottled varieties are also known. Scientists presumeVigna angularis var...

s (koshian or tsubuan). Lard and sesame oil are typically added to increase flavor and taste. Similar to Chinese Doushabao. — the ingredients consist of a mixture of pizza sauce and other common pizza
Pizza
Pizza is a world-popular dish of Italian origin, made with an oven-baked, flat, generally round bread that is often covered with tomatoes or a tomato-based sauce and cheese. Other toppings are added according to region, culture, or personal preference.Originating in a part of Italian cuisine, the...

 ingredients such as cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a food consisting of proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. It is produced by coagulation of the milk protein casein. Typically, the milk is acidified and addition of the enzyme rennet causes coagulation. The solids are separated and pressed into...

, sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a prepared food, usually made from ground meat , ground pork fat such as fatback, salt, and spices . Typically the sausage is formed in a casing. Traditionally, sausage casings are made of animal intestines, though now some casings are synthetic...

, pepperoni
Pepperoni
Pepperoni is a spicy Italian-American variety of salami made from cured and fermented pork. However, Halal or Kosher Pepperoni may be made from beef....

, and corn
Maize
Maize , is a herbaceous plant domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents...

. The specific ingredients vary slightly depending on the maker. — turmeric
Turmeric
Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is native to tropical South Asia and needs temperatures between 20°C and 30°C, and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive...

 or food coloring
Food coloring
Food coloring is any substance that is added to food or drink to change its color. Food coloring is used both in commercial food production and in domestic cooking...

 is added to the skin to make it yellow. The ingredients are the same as meat buns or pork buns with curry
Curry
Curry is a generic description used throughout European and American culture to describe a general variety of spiced dishes, best known in Asian cuisines, especially South Asian cuisine...

-style flavoring. There is also curry man similar to curry bread
Curry bread
Curry bread , also called curry doughnut, is a popular Japanese food. An amount of Japanese curry is wrapped in a piece of dough, and the dough breaded in panko, and deep fried. On occasion it is baked instead of deep fried, but deep frying is the most common method of cooking...

 or dry curry.

Special variations of chūka man


Various convenience stores have offered seasonal varieties of chūka man:

Circle K Sunkus
Circle K Sunkus
' is a chain of company-operated and franchised convenience stores in Japan. The company is a division of UNY Co., Ltd., which licensed the Circle K name from Alimentation Couche-Tard, a Canadian convenience store company that owns the Circle K brand....

 

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

Ministop
Ministop
, a member of ÆON Group, operates the Ministop convenience store franchise chain in Japan. Unlike most other convenience stores in Japan, Ministop stores feature a kitchen, where sandwiches and other snacks are prepared on demand, and a seating area, where customers can sit down and consume those...

 

  • Crunchy Chinese seafood man
  • Crunchy cheese sausage donut man
  • Boiled pork cube crunchy curry man
  • Crunchy cheese lasagna man
  • Belgium chocolate man

FamilyMart
FamilyMart
is a convenience store franchise chain first opened in Japan on September 1, 1981. FamilyMart is Japan's third largest convenience store chain, behind 7-Eleven and Lawson, and the largest chain store in South Korea...

 

  • Cream cheese man
  • Sakura
    Sakura
    A cherry blossom is the name for the flower of cherry trees known as Sakura in Japanese. In English, the word "sakura" is equivalent to the Japanese flowering cherry...

     man
  • Choco-man
  • Chestnut man
  • Habanero Kimchi man

See also

  • Manju (food)
    Manju (food)
    is a popular traditional Japanese confection. There are many varieties of manjū, but most have an outside made from flour, rice powder and buckwheat and a filling of an , made from boiled azuki beans and sugar. They are boiled together again and kneaded...

     (饅頭)
  • Baozi
    Baozi
    A baozi or simply known as bao, bau, nunu, pow,pau is a type of steamed, filled bun or bread-like item in various Chinese cuisines, as there is much variation as to the fillings and the preparations. In its bun-like aspect it is very similar to the traditional Chinese mantou. It can be filled with...

     (包子)
  • Cha Siu Baau
    Cha Siu Baau
    Cha siu baau are Cantonese barbecue pork buns . The buns are filled with barbecue-flavoured cha siu pork. They are served as a type of dim sum during yum cha and are sometimes sold in Chinese bakeries.-Variety:...

     (叉燒包)
  • Manapua
  • Siopao
    Siopao
    Siopao is a Hokkien term for baozi, literally meaning steamed buns. It is also called salapao in Thailand.It is a popular food item in the Philippines. It does not require utensils to eat and can be consumed on-the-go...

  • Xiaolongbao
    Xiaolongbao
    Xiǎolóngbāo, also known as soup dumpling, is a type of baozi from eastern China, including Shanghai and Wuxi. It is traditionally steamed in small bamboo baskets, hence the name ....


External links