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Three white plates topped with two baked manapua rest atop a creamy white textured surface. One of the baked manapua has been bitten into revealing the inside char siu filling. The plates are surrounded by a pink serving dish filled with more baked manapua, a light pink linen napkin, and loose thinly sliced green onion.

Easy Baked Manapua (Hawaiian-Style Char Siu Bao)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Jess Larson
  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Inactive Rising Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 hours (mostly inactive)
  • Yield: 12 buns 1x
  • Category: Sandwiches & Burgers, Main Dishes
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Hawaiian, Chinese, Asian-Inspired

Description

Manapua, Hawaii’s equivalent to Chinese pork buns (char siu bao), is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. Growing up on the mainland, my family was far away from our extended family in Hawaii, so the taste of iconic local-style dishes always transported us back to our home on the islands. Over the years, my mom cracked the code to making absolutely killer baked manapua easily, thanks to a secret ingredient & a semi-homemade approach.

Pre-made dinner roll dough from the freezer section yields perfectly soft & puffy buns without the fuss involved with mixing & kneading homemade bread dough. Simply thaw them out, stuff them with a savory-spiced-sweet char siu pork filling, & bake until beautifully golden. Easy! 

While this baked manapua recipe is easy, there is a fair amount of time involved in thawing & proofing the bread dough. It’s mostly inactive, but you can also take a number of different make-ahead manapua approaches to help streamline day-of prep. See the Recipe Notes, below, for more details. 

Nothing beats freshly baked manapua from a bakery in Hawaii, of course, but I think my family’s at-home manapua recipe is just about the next best thing. We hope you enjoy! ♡


Ingredients

Scale

for baked manapua assembly:

  • 12 frozen dinner roll dough balls (see Recipe Notes)
  • char siu filling (below)
  • all-purpose flour, for dusting
  • 1 large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
  • 1 teaspoon honey, whisked with 1 teaspoon hot water

for the char siu filling: 

  • nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or high smoke point vegetable oil of choice
  • 1/2 small yellow onion, finely diced
  • 16 ounces char siu pork, diced into 1/4-inch cubes (~2 cups diced) (see Recipe Notes)
  • 2 ounces water chestnuts, finely diced (~1/3 cup diced) (see Recipe Notes)
  • 1 green onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar (can sub regular brown sugar)
  • 1/3 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 scant tablespoon cornstarch, whisked with 1 tablespoon water
  • kosher salt & white pepper, to seasonEasy Baked Manapua (Hawaiian-Style Char Siu Bao) ingredients arranged on a creamy white textured surface: Rhodes frozen dinner rolls, char siu pork, grapeseed oil, yellow onion, water chestnuts, green onion, dark brown sugar, chicken broth, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, kosher salt, and white pepper.

Instructions

  1. Prepare the dough: 3-4 hours before you’d like to prep & bake manapua, prepare the dough by thawing it out. Place the frozen dinner roll dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, arranging them at least 2 inches apart from each other. Lightly spritz a large piece of plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray. Gently place it over the frozen dough, oil side facing down. Set aside for 3-4 hours, until the dough is completely thawed & looks puffy or swollen.How to make baked manapua, step 1: prepare the dough. Rhodes frozen dinner rolls arranged on a parchment lined baking sheet for thawing & proofing. The baking sheet sits atop a creamy white textured surface.
  2. Prepare the char siu filling – render the char siu pork & cook the aromatics: Once the dough is thawed, begin prepping the char siu filling. Add the grapeseed oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot & shimmering, add in the yellow onion & char siu pork. Season with a small pinch of kosher salt & 1/2 teaspoon white pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is translucent & the pork is rendered slightly. Add the water chestnuts & green onion to the skillet, stirring to combine. Cook 1-2 minutes longer, just until the green onions are softened & fragrant.How to make baked manapua, step 2: Prepare the char siu filling. Rendered char siu pork & aromatics cook inside of a large skillet. The skillet sits atop a creamy white textured surface.
  3. Finish the char siu filling: Add the dark brown sugar to the skillet, stirring to coat the char siu pork mixture. Cook until dissolved, 1-2 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the chicken broth, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, & sesame oil (it’s most efficient to do so in a liquid measuring cup!). Once the brown sugar is dissolved, add the chicken broth mixture to the skillet. Stir to combine. While stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to a simmer & allow everything to bubble together for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch slurry. Cook 1-2 minutes longer, until thickened. Carefully transfer the char siu filling to a large bowl or plate to cool before assembling the manapua, or transfer to an airtight container & store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. How to make baked manapua, step 2: Prepare the char siu filling. Rendered char siu pork & aromatics cook inside of a large skillet. The skillet sits atop a creamy white textured surface.
  4. Assemble the manapua: Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. Place one dough ball on the prepared work surface. Use the palm of your hand to flatten it into a circle roughly 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Place the dough in the palm of your non-dominant hand. Use your other hand to add a heaping spoonful (roughly 2 tablespoons) of the prepared char siu filling to the center of the dough. Starting on one side of the dough & working your way around the circle, use your fingers to gather & pinch the edges of the dough until the filling is fully enclosed & the bao is sealed. Use your hand to smooth & press the seal flat. Place the assembled bao, seam side down, on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough balls & char siu filling until all 12 manapua are assembled. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="28147,28148,28149,28151"]
  5. Proof the manapua for baking: Place the lightly oiled plastic wrap over the assembled manapua, oil side facing down. Set aside to proof for 30 minutes, at which point the dough will look puffy & swollen again. This is also a great time to preheat the oven for baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, ensuring a rack is positioned in the center of the oven.Char siu manapua filled bao buns are arranged on a parchment lined baking sheet for proofing. The baking sheet sits atop a creamy white textured surface.
  6. Bake the manapua: Lightly brush the tops of the bao with egg wash, then transfer to the oven. Bake the manapua 18-20 minutes, or until beautifully golden brown.How to make manapua, step 6: Bake the manapua. Several baked char siu manapua buns are arranged on a parchment lined baking sheet. The baking sheet sits atop a creamy white textured surface.
  7. Serving: Remove the baked manapua the oven & allow to cool slightly. If desired, brush the tops of the bao with honey wash for a crave-worthy sticky-sweet finish. Serve immediately. Enjoy!Seven finished baked char siu manapua buns are arranged inside of a white serving dish. The baked manapua at center has been split in half to revel the char siu filling inside. The serving dish sits atop a creamy white textured surface with a pink linen napkin and a plate with a char siu manapua resting alongside.

Notes

  • Ingredient Notes: 
    • Frozen dinner roll dough balls are the secret ingredient that makes this baked manapua recipe quick(er) & easy! Since they’re already pre-portioned & ready to bake, they make for a savvy substitute for homemade bread dough. Frozen dinner roll dough balls are readily available in the freezer section at most conventional grocery stores. We love Rhodes Bake-N-Serv Dinner Rolls.
    • Char siu is an iconic Chinese (specifically, Cantonese) roasted BBQ pork. Perhaps most commonly known for its vibrant red color, char siu is super juicy with a unique spiced-savory-sweet flavor. You can purchase prepared char siu at most Chinese/Asian grocery stores with a deli, but it’s also incredibly simple to make at home – try my Mom’s Easy Homemade Char Siu recipe!
    • Water chestnuts are an aquatic tuber (named after their chestnut-like appearance) indigenous to Southeast Asia. They are very mild in flavor, but have a wonderfully refreshing crunchy-crisp texture. You’ll often see water chestnuts used in Chinese-style stir fries, but my family always adds them to dishes like manapua or siu mai for extra texture. Canned water chestnuts are readily available in most conventional grocery stores – find them in the “International” aisle near other Asian ingredients.
  • Storage, & Freezing:
    • Storage & Reheating: Leftover baked manapua will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
    • Freezer Instructions: You can also freeze leftover baked manapua. Transfer the chilled baked manapua to a freezer bag & freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
  • Make-Ahead Baked Manapua: While this baked manapua recipe is easy & straight-forward, thawing the dough & filling the buns does take a little time – it’s kind of a kitchen project in that way. If you’d like to do a little prep in advance to cut down on active hands-on time when you bake your buns, there are a few options:
    • Make-Ahead Option #1: Prep the char siu filling in advance. Prepare the char siu filling according to Steps 3-4 of Recipe Directions, above. Cool & transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The day you’d like to prepare baked manapua, simply thaw the dough & assemble the manapua according to Steps 1 & 4, above, then proceed with proofing & baking.
    • Make-Ahead Option #2: Assemble the manapua in advance. Prepare the manapua according to Steps 1-4 of Recipe Notes, above. Rather than proofing, wrap tightly with plastic wrap & store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To bake, simply allow the manapua to warm slightly & bake according to Steps 5-7 of Recipe Directions, above.
    • Make-Ahead Option #3: Bake from frozen. love having a freezer stash of manapua to easily bake whenever the craving strikes. It’s worth noting that baked-from-frozen manapua aren’t quite as pretty as the other methods provided in this recipe, but they’re still really tasty. To freeze, prepare the manapua according to Steps 1-4 of Recipe Notes, above. Place the manapua, uncovered, in the freezer to individually quick freeze for about 1 hour, then transfer the frozen manapua to a freezer bag. Freeze unbaked manapua up to 3 months. For best results, thaw the frozen manapua overnight in the refrigerator or for 2 hours at room temperature, until the manapua is warm & slightly puffy. If you don’t have the time or foresight, you can skip this step. From there, bake according to Steps 5-7 of Recipe Directions, above, adding a few minutes of baking time as needed to ensure the dough cooks all the way through.