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    HOME » Recipes » Appetizers

    Published: May 12, 2014 · Modified: Jan 29, 2022· This website generates income via ads ·

    Hawaiian Style Manapua Buns

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Soft white buns with red pork filling.

    Michael grew up in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. Since we first met, he has talked about manapua, or steamed pork buns. In my trips to Hawaii before I met Michael, I had never tried Hawaiian Style Manapua Buns. Steamed bread dough, with a dollop of bright red pork in the center, didn't sound particularly tasty.

    A few years ago Michael and I took a trip to Oahu and he ate manapua in restaurants and from food cases in convenience stores. Manapua is available all over the islands, from street vendors to fine dining restaurants. I tasted one, but still was not impressed.

    Food blogging exposes us to things we might never have tried before. Presented in a different way, or captured in a photo good enough to eat, non-traditional foods or even once-hated foods find their way onto our plate. This is how it happened with me and manapua. I saw a beautiful photo of sparkling white, steamed buns with a smidgen of that bright red pork in the center. I decided to make them for Michael and in the process, fell in love with them myself.

    I did a lot of online research before deciding which dough recipe and cooking method I would use. The Chinese version of these buns are called bao while the Hawaiian's call them manapua.  There are subtle differences such as the use of both yeast and baking powder in the Manapua dough, as well as the addition of sesame oil. Bao are usually smaller with the seam side up, while manapua are round with the seam side on the bottom. They can be filled with all kinds of meats, vegetables  or tofu, but the one Michael likes and the most popular in Hawaii, is the char siu pork. The term "char siu" refers to meats which have been marinated in char siu seasoning. The char sui seasoning can be prepared from scratch or from store-bought char sui seasoning in a pouch or a jar. I like this jarred version. (Update: I have included a recipe for homemade char Sui BBQ sauce!) You can make it from scratch, use a jarred sauce, or if really short on time, pick up char sui BBQ pork at your favorite Chinese restaurant.

    Jar of Char Sui sauce.

    The pork is slathered with the char sui BBQ sauce then roasted in an oven or over a fire. I used pork loin cooked on my indoor grill.

    Char Sui on a hot grill.

    The cooked pork is finely diced and seasoning, onions, and wine are added to make the filling. It should look like this with small cubes of pork, onions, thick sauce and a bright red color.

    Diced BBQ Pork.


    The dough can be made by hand or using a stand mixer. The dough takes about an hour for the first rise.

    Dough rising in bowl.

    The dough is divided into 16 equal pieces.

    Dough cut into portions.

    Keep the dough pieces covered with plastic while filling one at a time so they don't dry out.

    Covered dough.

    Place the dough pieces on a floured surface.

    small ball of dough.

    Use a small rolling-pin to form them into 5" rounds, slightly thicker in the center.

    rolling pin and dough round.

    You can form them by hand too.

    forming dough by hand.

    Place a tablespoon of filling in the center.

    dough round with pork filling.

    Close the dough by pinching the edges together. Traditional Hawaiian manapua goes seam side down on a small piece of parchment paper. Once all the buns are all filled, cover them loosely with plastic and allow them to rise for 30-45 minutes.

    12 dough balls.

    Place the buns on the parchment on a steamer insert. Don't crowd them as they puff up when cooked.

    four dough balls on steamer.

    I use my electric steamer. Works great! Steam the buns for 15 minutes.

    rice steamer.

    Raise the lid and allow the steam to escape. leave them in the steamer like this for 5 minutes. The water on the inside of the lid should drain off without wetting the buns.

    venting steamer.

    Use tongs to take the steamed buns out of the steamer.

    dough in steamer.

    They should look like this!

    finished steamed manapua.

    Here are some that I steamed with the seam side up. I like the looks of these better. Pssst, "Don't tell Michael."

    BTW, he said these are the best manapua he has ever eaten. He said the kicker was the way the pork was trimmed to remove all the fat and other things you wouldn't want to bite into. We will definitely be having these again. Michael says at least once a month. I can do that!

    Manapua

    Hawaiian style steamed pork buns. Fluffy dough with sweet and savory pork filling.
    4.79 from 112 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Rise time 1 hr
    Total Time 1 hr 45 mins
    Course
    Main Course
    ,
    Side Dish
    ,
    Snack
    Servings 8

    Equipment

    • Small bowl
    • Stand mixer with bowl can mix and knead by hand but it is more work
    • Large glass bowl
    • Plastic wrap
    • Frying pan
    • Steamer basket

    Ingredients
      

    For the dough:

    • 1 ½ teaspoons instant dry yeast
    • ¾ cup lukewarm water
    • 2 TBS canola oil
    • 2 TBS sugar
    • 2 teaspoon baking powder
    • Scant 3 cups flour

    For the filling:

    • 2 cups diced barbecue pork
    • 3 tbs white onion finely chopped
    • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • 1 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine
    • 1 tablespoons oyster sauce
    • 1 tablespoons dark soy sauce
    • 1 teaspoons corn starch with 2 teaspoons of water
    • 3-4 drops red food coloring optional

    Instructions
     

    To make the dough in a stand mixer:

    • Put the yeast in a small bowl, add the water and set aside for 1 minute to soften. Whisk in the oil to blend and dissolve the yeast. Set aside.
    • Combine the sugar, baking powder and flour in the bowl of the mixer. Using the dough hook, mix at low-speed to combine. Add the yeast/water/oil mixture. With the mixer on medium, allow it to knead the dough until it forms a large ball and cleans the sides of the bowl. If this doesn't happen add warm water, 1 TBS at a time until it forms a large ball and mostly cleans the sides of the bowl. It should feel medium-soft and tacky but should not stick to your finger.
    • If you don't use a stand mixer, you can mix and knead the dough by hand. It will take about five minutes of kneading to achieve the desired texture.
    • Lightly oil a large glass bowl and add the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm, draft-free place to rise until nearly doubled. This will take about an hour but timing will vary depending on the temperature of the room.

    To make the filling:

    • While the dough is proofing, get ready the ingredients for the fillings. In a frying pan, add 3 tablespoons cooking oil. Sauté the onions until translucent. Add the barbecue pork and stir fry until well mixed. Add the cooking wine, sesame oil, sugar, oyster sauce and soy sauce. Stir fry for another 2 minutes. Add ½ the cornstarch/water solution stirring constantly until transparent. Add more thickener if needed. Add red food coloring if desired. Traditional filling is bright red in color. Set filling aside for later assembly.
    • Once the dough has finished the first proofing, it is time to assemble the manapua. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and divide it into 16 equal pieces. Using your hands or a small rolling-pin, form the dough into 5 inch rounds. Place tablespoon of filling in the center of each bun. Bring the edges of the dough circle together.
    • Get a steamer ready with 2 inches of water. This can be an electric steamer or a stove-top steamer. Add the filled dough to the steamer and steam the buns over high heat for about 12-15 minutes. Turn off the steamer and open the lid ever so slightly to let the steam escape. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes before removing the buns from the steamer. Best served warm.

    Notes

    Cook and prep times are just approximations. Your skill level and steamer size will dictate how long it takes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 195kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 6gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 683mgPotassium: 130mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 69mgIron: 1mg

    Approximate nutrition information is provided as a convenience and courtesy only. You are encouraged to do your own calculations if precise data is required.

    We take every effort to ensure that the estimated meal cost per serving is accurate. We use a meal cost analysis application that estimates the cost of a recipe based on groceries purchased at a Walmart store in my geographical area, northern California.

    Cook and prep times are just approximations. Your skill level and steamer size will dictate how long it takes.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    "Aloha nui loa" to Tim and Cheryl. You need to make these at home or come down and we'll make them for you!

    steamed manapua with filling showing.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. myndeigh says

      June 13, 2016 at 1:18 am

      5 stars
      thank for the recipe, these look amazing. My hubby was born and raised in Oahu too.

      Reply
    2. Rachel says

      March 13, 2016 at 12:36 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for posting this recipe!! I lived in Hawaii for a few years, and like you, the thought of manapua was completely unappetizing at first. But I tried and loved them, and miss them! Places on north shore Oahu would sell the gigantic size ones, seam side up (which I agree is way prettier! Haha). I'm definitely going to try making these soon!

      Reply
    3. R.L. Maiden says

      September 26, 2014 at 8:04 pm

      5 stars
      Next challenge: pork hash! I used to get mine from the manapua man, too 🙂

      Reply
    4. Cheryl says

      May 25, 2014 at 7:06 pm

      Stopping by to thank you again for linking up at The Yuck Stops Here link party. This dish is so interesting and I am glad you shared it with us! HUGS

      Reply
    5. Lois Christensen says

      May 25, 2014 at 10:42 am

      Thank you so much for sharing such an interesting dish with Foodie Friends Friday. It looks really yummy! Hope to see you again next Friday!

      Reply
    6. Vashti Quiroz-Vega says

      May 22, 2014 at 8:49 am

      Hello! This recipe looks so interesting and delicious. I really want to try it. I've pinned it and I'm going to give it a try. Thank you for sharing. I'm following you via Bloglovin'. Have a great day!

      Reply
      • Mary says

        May 22, 2014 at 8:55 am

        Thanks for following and for commenting Vashti! I hope you enjoy the manapua.

        Reply
    7. Chrystal @ YUM eating says

      May 21, 2014 at 5:43 pm

      It's like the Hawiian version of dumplings! Looks interesting. Pinned. Thank you for linking up at The Yuck Stops Here.

      Reply
    8. Stephanie says

      May 20, 2014 at 8:13 pm

      This looks delicious! I would love for you share it on my Tasty Tuesday recipe link up here! Everything gets pinned and I would love to have you!

      Reply
    9. Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) says

      May 18, 2014 at 6:06 pm

      5 stars
      Congratulations! I've never had the pleasure of tasting these, but have seen photos and have wanted to give them a try. I really thought they'd be too difficult. Your step by step instructions have me inspired.

      Reply
    10. Mary says

      May 16, 2014 at 6:34 am

      Thanks for stopping by Erlene and for commenting. Giant sized manapua huh? I prefer a more filling to bread ration but Michael likes more bun to filling.

      Reply
    11. Erlene says

      May 16, 2014 at 2:03 am

      OMG I knew someone was from Hawaii as soon as I saw Manapua 🙂 I posted about this on my blog too and I make this for the kids a few times a year. I make mines giant sized for the kids because they LOVE them. Thanks for sharing on Merry Monday.

      Reply
    12. Mary says

      May 13, 2014 at 8:17 am

      Thanks Dina! You'll have to give them a try!

      Reply
    13. dina says

      May 13, 2014 at 8:14 am

      I love the soft dough in buns. your dough looks so wonderful. yum!

      Reply

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    I am Mary, the blogger behind "Oh That's Good!" I am a former nurse, former hobby farm blogger, former vintage shop owner, and current food blogger. I live with my husband and our little mutt Tucker in a lovely retirement community. I am cooking for two and taking inspiration from old cookbooks, magazines, and memories of watching my mother and grandmother cook. I like reducing my food waste and exorbitant grocery bills! I am busy rewriting my recipes for two servings with the option of adjusting the recipe up to four or six servings with just one click.

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