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Homemade an pan
takes some effort

An pan is sort of Japanese version of baked manapua -- except the filling is bean, not pork, and both bun and filling are sweet. OK, so it's not that much like manapua after all, except in the sense of being a filled bun, handy for a quick, neat snack.

Peter Gasperini asked for a recipe and one turned up in "Cook Japanese Hawaiian Style" by Muriel Miura Kaminaka (1974). It's a long recipe, so I'm not going to say much more.

This is a from-scratch version of the dough and filling. To make things easier, you can use canned azuki beans. Kaminaka also suggests using commercially made, refrigerated dinner-roll dough if you really don't want to go through much trouble.

To make filling: Wash and soak beans in water overnight.

Drain. Cook in water to cover, adding more water as needed, until very tender, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Grind beans, then strain through sieve. Discard bean skins and squeeze beans through muslin bag to remove excess water. Add sugar and salt.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thick. Cool. Makes 2-1/2 cups.

To make rolls: Soften yeast in warm water.

Combine boiling water, shortening, sugar and salt; cool to lukewarm. Add softened yeast. Add egg; mix well. Add enough flour to make smooth, soft dough. Knead on lightly floured board. Place in greased bowl; turn to grease entire surface. Cover. Let rise until double in bulk, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Punch down; shape into smooth ball. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet.

Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of dough and flatten into circles about 2 inches across. Fill each with 1 tablespoon filling and pinch edges together to seal. Place on cookie sheet, seam-side down; brush tops with egg wash or melted butter. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Let stand until double in bulk, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Bake 15 minutes. Makes 30 to 36.