Easy Char Siu Bao...In Other Words Mini Char Siu Manapua

This is something I made off the July menu plan.  I have always wanted to make my own manapua but been too lazy to even try and I don't want to wait for the dough to rise.  I had been thinking of ways to give my son something new to eat for lunch and snacks that I could easily freeze and re-heat later. 

My BFF told me a bit ago that her mom used to make mini manapuas out of Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits and baked them.  I kept that idea in mind but forgot about it for a while until I started going through my cookbooks to plan July's menu.  Lo and behold I found the mini manapua recipe in one of my books!  Who would have thought after all these years I had this recipe this whole time.  I bought the used cookbook "Garden of Flavors: Playmate School's 50th Anniversary" from Powells Bookstore maybe five years ago and was surprised to find a cookbook originating from Hawaii in there.

This was actually easy to make but a little messy, nothing but a little practice can't fix.  For the char siu I had to use store bought packaged "mainland Chinese BBQ Pork" which is REALLY dry, makes me want to just make my own but that will be for an experiment for another time.  Overall it turned out really well and I got the toddler approval since he's eaten so many of them.

EASY CHAR SIU BAO, "MANAPUA"
Ingredients:
1 cup char siu, diced
2-3 tbsp. Hoisin Sauce (enough to moisten)
1 stalk green onion, chopped (optional)
1 can Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits

Directions:
Combine first 3 ingredients and place about 1 tbsp. on each biscuit slice.  Fold into a half moon and pinch edges to seal.  Lay each piece onto a 3x3-inch square of wax paper.  Steam for 10-15 minutes.

Here are what they look like.  I need to practice a bit more to make them look a little neater but in any case my 2 year old didn't care ;o)