Lobak/Pork in Crispy Bean Curd Rolls

In Penang we call them Lobak, in the south of Malaysia and Singapore they’re known as Ngoh Hiang. Ngoh Hiang means five fragrance, or five spices, which is the essential ingredient of this dish. You can purchase five-spice powder from Asian grocers or mix it up yourself; the 5 spices are star anise, cinnamon, clove, schezuan pepper and fennel seeds. The rolls are usually served with a sweet and sour sauce. I broke the no deep frying in my kitchen rules today. It was 2 Christmases ago that we last had any deep frying in this house. Anyway, I now regret having to clean up. Thank goodness the reward was worth the effort.

Ingredients

500g pork mince

2 tsp of five spice powder

1 tsp of ground white pepper

3 tbsp of light soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 stalk of spring onion finely chopped

200g of water chestnut finely diced
1 egg (60g)

Salt

Bean curd sheets

1 tsp of corn flour mix with 20ml of water

Oil for deep frying

Method

1.          Add all the seasonings and egg to the mince, mix well, marinate for at least 30minutes.

2.          Wet bean curd sheets with a bit of water to make it more pliable.

3.          Cut the sheets into 12x12cm squares.

4.          Wrap mince in the bean curd skin, seal with the corn flour paste. Put seal side down for it to stick while wrapping the rest of the rolls.

5.          Heat vegetable oil/rice bran oil.

6.          Deep fry the rolls until the skin is golden and crisp.

Dry Bean Curd Sheets