Manju is a Japanese bun filled with bean paste.
They are white, rubbery looking balls with a soft but stretchy texture.
They are usually cooked by steaming, but some are baked. Some are sold on sticks.
The dough is made from rice flour, wheat flour, or from joyo (yam.)
The usual bean paste filling is sweet adzuki paste (“Anko”), but it can be koshian, tsubuan, or tsubushian.
The outside is brushed with egg white.
Occasionally, you will see coloured ones. For instance, some have green tea powder in the dough, and are coloured green.
History Notes
The bun type was brought from China, where it was called “mantou”, in 1341.
