Oni Manju (Demon buns)
About Oni Manju
Oni Manju are steamed buns filled with diced sweet potatoes. People say that this name came from its resemblance to the rugged horns of a demon. It is a local sweet of Aichi Prefecture in Japan and you can buy it at various places such as Japanese confectionery shops and supermarkets. It may look plain at first glance, but it is a popular sweet. I’m from Nagoya in Aichi prefecture and I ate Oni Manju really often. And much later I have learned that it is not common in other areas, such as Tokyo and Osaka.
Actually you don’t need any special ingredients to make it. If you have sweet potatoes, you can make it in no time at home. It’s not surprisingly delicious, but it has a very simple and nostalgic taste. Since the taste of the ingredients comes out directly, it is essential to make it with sweet and fluffy sweet potatoes.
I will put a link to the article on the nutrition and health benefits of sweet potatoes, which is the main ingredient of this time, so please read it if you like.
Recipe tips
In this recipe, I used fine granulated sugar, but you can use anything you like, such as light brown sugar or caster sugar. However, depending on the type of sweet potato and the type of sugar, the amount of water released from the sweet potato may change. When you add water after adding flour, keep an eye on it and adjust accordingly.
You can peel the skin of the sweet potato or not, whichever you prefer. For this blog, I peeled one half and left the other half with the skin on. I added baking powder to the one with the skin on. If you add baking powder, it will have a light texture, and if you don’t add it, it will have a chewy texture.
If you don’t have a steamer, you can use a frying pan or pot instead. Put the dough on parchment sheet, and put it in a cocotte. Then place it in a frying pan or pot filled with boiling water to a depth of 1.5 to 2 cm. Cover and steam for 15-20 minutes.
Oni Manju (Demon buns)
Equipment
- 1 Steamer or frying pan / pot with a lid
- 1 Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 200 gram Sweet potato
- 50 gram Fine granulated sugar or caster sugar
- A pinch of Salt
- 60 gram All purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking powder (optional) If you like light and fluffy texture.
- 1/2 ~ 2 tablespoon Water
Instructions
- Cut the parchment paper sheet into squares of about 8 cm. 6 sheets are required.Peel the skin of the sweet potato and cut it into 8 mm ~ 1 cm cubes. (You don't have to peel the skin if you prefer.)
- Soak the sweet potato in water (to prevent discoloration).
- Put the drained sweet potato, sugar, and salt in a bowl, mix, and leave for 10-15 minutes.
- The sugar will melt and the water will come out of the sweet potato. (Don't throw away the water, use it as it is.)Boil water in a pot with a steamer.
- Add flour to the sweet potato and mix with a spoon or rubber spatula. Add water (about 1 tbsp) if the mixture is still powdery. (The dough should not be too loose and should feel like it's coating around the sweet potato.)
- Divide the dough into 6 equal parts and put them on a parchment paper with a spoon. Place in a steamer and heat over medium heat for 15-20 minutes.If the sweet potato is cooked through and the dough is not sticky when skewered, it's done. It is tasty both hot and cold.
Notes
Even if you’ve never eaten it before, it’s easy, so give it a try. Below I put some links to recipes using sweet potatoes, so please make them if you like.
Thank you for reading and Bon Appetit!