Nikku Maun

Bread Ingredients: (1 cup = 200 cc, which is a little less than 1 American cup)

4 cups flour (a little less flour than 4 American cups)

2 T. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 T. oil

1 T. dry yeast

1 1/2 T. baking powder

210-220 cc. or 1 3/4 American cup water

Mix all of the above ingredients together at one time.  Knead.  Let dough sit while you make filling.

Filling:

1 lb. ground beef hamburger 

1 onion - chopped

1 T. sesame oil

1 or 2 bulbs of grated garlic
About 1/2 - 1 inch of fresh grated ginger
Soy sauce, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, mirin, and sake to taste.

Shitake mushroom (If using dried shiitake, soak in warm water for about 15 minutes to soften it, then chop it up. You can pour some of the shiitake water into the meat mixture to give it some extra flavor.)
Napa Cabbage
Carrot
Bean sprouts (if desired)

Instructions:

Cook meat mixture in skillet.

For making the nikki maun, you can do #1 or #2, which ever is easiest for you.

1.  Form dough into a ball, flatten dough out, spoon meat into dough, enclose the meat inside the dough by making a ball about the size of a softball or smaller.

2.  Roll half the dough on to your counter as if you were making sugar cookies. Get a round cookie cutter or form such as a small bowl or glass. Use it like a cookie cutter and cut out round pieces of dough. Remove one of the round dough shapes from the group, and roll it out flatter than it is. Put the meat in the center of the dough and enclose the meat by bringing the edges up and squeezing them together to form a ball.

Put each of the meat/bread balls on a small, square piece of paper just a little larger than the size of the ball to allow them to raise for about 15 minutes and then for them to steam without sticking to the bottom of the steamer.
 Repeat the above step with each of the dough circles.

Steam the buns in a stove top steamer for about 10-15 minutes.
Eat and enjoy!