Fried pork and prawn rolls in bean curd skin (lor bak)

Instead of spring roll wrappers, these deep-fried rolls are cloaked in sheets of bean curd, which is considered good luck in Chinese custom.

Credit: Steve Brown

• makes

  24

• prep

  1 hour

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 800 g pork fillet, trimmed, cut into julienne
• 200 g green king or tiger prawns, peeled, cleaned, finely chopped
• 1½ tsp five-spice powder
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp grated palm sugar
• 2 tbsp tapioca flour (see Note)
• 3 tsp sesame oil
• 100 g water chestnuts, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 80 g dried bean curd sheets (see Note)
• Vegetable oil, to deep-fry

Dipping sauce

• 150 ml plum sauce
• 2½ tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tsp tapioca flour (see Note)

Marinating time 3 hours

Instructions

To make filling, place pork, prawns, five-spice powder, oyster sauce and palm sugar in a bowl and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight to marinate. Stir in tapioca flour, sesame oil, water chestnuts, onion and egg, and season with salt and pepper.

To make dipping sauce, combine plum sauce, lime juice, sugar and 125 ml water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, bring to a simmer. Mix tapioca flour and 2 tbsp water in a small bowl to form a smooth paste. Stirring sauce continuously, add paste, then cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat.

Stir plain flour and 2 tbsp water in a small bowl to form a smooth paste. Cut bean curd sheets into 24 x 17 cm x 25 cm pieces. Fill a small bowl with cold water. Working with one piece at a time, place bean curd on a work surface with a narrow edge facing you. Dip your fingertip in water and lightly rub surface of bean curd to soften slightly. Place 2 tbsp filling along narrow edge and shape into a 9 cm-long sausage. Fold over sides, then roll over twice to enclose filling (don’t roll whole length of bean curd or lor bak won’t be crisp). Trim excess bean curd, then brush paste along edge and press to seal. Repeat with remaining bean curd and filling to make 24 rolls.

Fill a large wok one-third full with oil and heat over medium heat to 180°C (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 10 seconds). Working in batches, place rolls in oil and fry, turning occasionally, for 6 minutes or until bean curd is golden and crisp, and filling is cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon, then drain on paper towel. Cut in half and serve hot with dipping sauce.

Notes

• Tapioca flour is from Asian food shops.

• Bean curd sheets, from Asian food shops, are made from the skin that forms when soy milk is boiled. We used Shrimp & Boy brand.

Photography Steve Brown

As seen in Feast magazine, May 2014, Issue 31. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.