Nikuman

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 09:00:22 GMT

Step 1

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, 2 tbsp of sugar, the instant yeast, 1/4 tsp of salt, and baking powder. Make a well in the center and pour in the water and vegetable oil and mix with a dough hook attachment until you have a smooth and stretchy dough, about 10 minutes.

Step 2

Lift the dough out of the bowl and shape into a ball. Lightly spread vegetable oil around the bowl and place the dough back in. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm place for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Step 3

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a medium bowl, toss the cabbage with the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze the cabbage to get rid of the excess moisture and pat dry with paper towels. Pat the mushrooms, green onion, and carrots with paper towels as well to avoid any extra moisture in the filling.

Step 4

In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, pork belly, cabbage, mushrooms, green onions, carrot, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sake, cornstarch, ginger, and pepper. Use your hands to mix everything together thoroughly until the mixture is a pale paste. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until needed.

Step 5

Once the dough has risen, punch it down to deflate the air. Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Divide the dough into 8 equal wedges. Form each wedge into a ball and cover the balls with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Step 6

Meanwhile, cut eight 5x5-inch squares of parchment paper.

Step 7

Remove the bowl of filling from the refrigerator. Working with 1 ball of dough at a time, roll it 4 inches across, making the edges thinner than the center. Scoop 2 tbsp of filling into the center of the dough disk. Lift, pleat, and pinch the edges of the dough together, drawing the dough over the filling as you go. Twist the gathered dough at the top to close and seal. Place the bun on a square piece of parchment paper. Repeat this process with the rest of the dough and filling, covering the completed dough with plastic wrap. Once you're finished, let the buns rest for 20 minutes.

Step 8

Pour 2 inches of water into a large pot over medium heat. If you have a steamer tray, place it in the pot, or if you have a bamboo steamer, place it over the pot. Wrap a kitchen towel around the pot or bamboo steamer lid, tying the ends at the top to keep them away from the heating element. If you don’t have a steamer tray or a bamboo steamer, make three golf ball size balls of aluminum foil, place them in opposite sides of the pot, and balance a plate on top of these balls.

Step 9

Once the pot is steaming, add 3 to 4 nikuman, keeping them 2 inches apart; you don’t want to crowd them or they’ll stick together. Steam for 15 minutes, then remove them from the pot using tongs. Repeat with the rest of the nikuman. Serve warm as is or with dipping sauce.

Step 10

For a quick dipping sauce stir together 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar. Add in a couple of drops if la-yu oil if you’d like it spicy.

Step 11

The store than nikuman, place them in an airtight container in the Refrigerator for up to two days. To reheat a bun, wrap it in a damp paper towel, then wrap it loosely in a plastic wrap, and microwave for 30 seconds. You can also freeze the nikuman, by wrapping each bun in plastic wrap and placing them in a large freezer bag. To reheat a frozen bun, follow the same steps with the damp paper towel and plastic wrap, but microwave for one minute, then check and heat for another 15 to 30 seconds if needed.

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