Rice Flour Nikuman (Steamed Pork Buns)
米粉肉まん · Komeko Nikuman
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Nikuman are the fluffy steamed pork buns you find warming in the case at every Japanese convenience store in winter. This preschool snack version skips the kneading and rising entirely: a simple rice-flour batter is poured into cups around a gingery pork filling and steamed until puffed and tender. The batter uses soy milk and is made without egg or milk, and the soft, spoonable texture makes it easy even for little ones to eat.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 12 gonion
- 15 gground pork
- 37.5 grice flour
Seasonings
- 0.1 gginger paste (tube)Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- 0.5 gsoy sauce
- 0.1 gsalt
- 0.5 gsakeSake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- 1.5 gpotato starch (katakuriko)Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness.
- 3.8 gsugar
- 2.3 gbaking powder
- 37.5 gsweetened soy milk (Japanese chosei tonyu)Japanese 'prepared' soy milk that is lightly sweetened and flavored to taste milder than plain soy milk. Substitute: Regular (original, lightly sweetened) soy milk from the supermarket.
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- ginger paste (tube) (しょうがチューブ)
- Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- sake (酒)
- Sake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- potato starch (katakuriko) (かたくり粉)
- Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness. Read the guide: Katakuriko (Japanese Potato Starch) and What to Use Instead → Guide: japanese-school-lunch.com/articles/katakuriko-potato-starch/
- sweetened soy milk (Japanese chosei tonyu) (調製豆乳)
- Japanese 'prepared' soy milk that is lightly sweetened and flavored to taste milder than plain soy milk. Substitute: Regular (original, lightly sweetened) soy milk from the supermarket.
Directions
- 1
Finely mince the onion. Mix together the onion, ground pork, ginger, soy sauce, salt, sake, and potato starch.
- 2
Put the rice flour, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the soy milk and mix.
- 3
Pour the batter from step 2 into cups until they are half full, then place the filling from step 1 on top. Pour more of the batter over to cover the filling. (It is easier if you pour a little less batter for the bottom layer and save a bit more to pour over the top.)
- 4
Arrange the cups in a steamer and steam over high heat for about 15 minutes.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 214.5 kcal | 429 kcal | 214.5 kcal |
| Protein | 6.3 g | 12.6 g | 6.3 g |
| Fat | 4.2 g | 8.4 g | 4.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 39.2 g | 78.3 g | 39.2 g |
| Fiber | 0.9 g | 1.8 g | 0.9 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Calcium | 72 mg | 144 mg | 72 mg |
| Iron | 0.6 mg | 1.2 mg | 0.6 mg |
| Potassium | 232.5 mg | 465 mg | 232.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 214.5 kcal | 6.3 g | 4.2 g | 39.2 g | 0.9 g | 0.6 g | 72 mg | 0.6 mg | 232.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 429 kcal | 12.6 g | 8.4 g | 78.3 g | 1.8 g | 1.2 g | 144 mg | 1.2 mg | 465 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
Ingredients in this recipe
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