Weird or a new discovery?! 4 recommended souzai pan (stuffed buns)

At a Japanese bakery, you might encounter breads you might not know. They're called souzai pan, a Japanese invention. You wanna try them or do you think it's just a weird Japanese invention?

Check out our writers’ top Japan travel ideas!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

 

At a bakery in Japan...

Bakery/Flickr

Have you ever entered a bakery in Japan? If you have, you might have noticed that there were a variety of arranged breads full of vegetables.

You might not even be able to recognize the ingredients.

Souzai-pan

They are called “souzai pan (stuffed buns)” in Japan. “Pan” means “bread” in Japanese, and “souzai" is "side dish". 

So souzai pan is a bread full of Japanese side dishes.

Hiroshi Yoshinaga/Flickr

Here is a good example. Curry pan is one of the most popular souzai pan. It contains curry inside. It would probably be found acceptable by most people, but what about the following? 

1. Yakisoba pan

Hajime NAKANO/Flickr

Yakisoba is one of the Japanese dishes which foreigners love. Do you like it? It's super yummy.

Here is a surprising souzai pan for you! This is Yakisoba pan. Bread stuffed with noodles. Can you overcome the uneasiness that comes from pairing carbs with carbs? If you can, please try it! Many Japanese young people love this Japanese invention.

2. Takoyaki pan

Megg/Flickr

If you have ever been to Japan, you should have already tried this soul food from Osaka!

If not, the next time you come to Japan you should try it. Is there any need to put together takoyaki and bread? I am Japanese, but I'm not sure either...but they taste good.

3. Gyoza pan

5th Luna/Flickr

Have you tried this dish at a Chinese restaurant? It's Jiaozi, called gyoza in Japanese, a kind of dumpling.

Jiaozi is a kind of Chinese dumplings, commonly eaten across Eastern, Central and Western Asia. Though commonly considered part of Chinese cuisine, jiaozi are also commonly eaten in many other Asian countries.

Some Japanese people are crazy enough to create gyoza pan. (This souzai pan is kind of rare though.) What do you think this gyoza pan has inside? Some meat and vegetables?

Actually, it contains a whole gyoza! Do you want to try it?

4. Karaage pan

hirotomo t/Flickr

Karaage is a kind of chicken nugget made with Japanese seasonings like soy sauce and ginger. This is also one of the Japanese dishes that foreigners love. (Among Japanese men, karaage is also very highly ranked.) 

 We have karaage pan too! Please don't hesitate to try all of them if you get the chance!

The information in this article is accurate at the time of publication.

tsunagu Japan Newsletter

Subscribe to our free newsletter and we'll show you the best Japan has to offer!

Subscribe Now!
Get your Japan discounts here!

About the author

Lys.
Lys.
  • Check out our writers’ top Japan travel ideas!

Restaurant Search

Sign up to our free newsletter to discover the best Japan has to offer.