Five Spices Meat Roll 五香 (Lor Bak) by Steven Neo

Main Ingredients:
• 500g pork Tenderloin, cut into short and thin strips
• 3 Tbsp. Potato Starch
• 1 large Brown Onion, diced
• 1 large Egg
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. Light Soy Sauce
• Dried Bean curd Sheet (tau peoy)
• Oil for deep frying
Marinade
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. white pepper
• 2 tsp. five spice powder

Method:

1. In mixing bowl, add all the marinade ingredients with thin strips of pork. Mix well and set aside for at least 2 hours in the fridge, preferably overnight.

2. Mix marinated pork with brown onion, egg, salt, light soy sauce and potato starch. Mix well and set aside.

3. Cut bean curd sheets into rectangular pieces, each appro. 15 x 20 cm long. This is easily done by following the creased “folding seams” of the folded tau peoy in the packets as they are being sold.

4. Wipe each piece rapidly with a slightly dampen kitchen towel or cloth to remove excess salt and oil.

Lay a piece of tau poey flat on a surface and place appro. 2 tbsp of filling in a tubular shape near one end of it, leaving a small recess around the perimeters.

Fold the two longer sides over the filling and quickly proceed to roll the shorter end facing you over the filling as well, in the direction away from you. A little tension needs to be exerted to make sure that the filling is tightly wrapped, without breaking the bean curd sheets.

The bean curd sheet should be rolled over the filling 2-3 times but no more than that. Excess skin not only affects the textures, it also makes the rolls too salty. Thus, trim any excess skin with a sharp knife.

Dab a bit of the starchy paste from the marinate on your finger and run it along the remaining exposed end of the bean curd sheets. Finally, roll over and seal tightly.

Set aside with the sealed edge facing down, using the weight of the filling to keep the meat rolls sealed and intact. Repeat with the remaining pieces of tau poey and filling until ingredients are used up.

5. To deep fry, add oil to a heated wok over medium flame. Test with a pair of wooden chopsticks or alternatively, place a small piece of excess tau poey into the oil. The oil is sufficiently hot when small bubbles begin to form along the edges of the tau poey rapidly and the tau poey floats up to the surface.

Slowly lower the meat rolls by sliding them into the oil with the sealed edge facing downwards. Divide and deep fry in two or more batches to prevent overcrowding. Turn periodically to ensure even coloration on both sides but be very careful not to break the skin.

When the skin develops a light tan hue, remove the meat rolls from the oil and drain over a wired sieve or colander.

Repeat the deep frying with other batches.

6. Finally, turn up the flame to medium-high and return the rolls into the oil the second time. This helps to purge out any oils within the rolls and crisp up the skin slightly.

Remove the meat rolls when they turn brown. It should take no more than 15-20 seconds. Do not overdo this the skin may char and burn, leaving a bitter aftertaste.

Drain over wire sieve or colander first and then over kitchen towel to absorb and remove excess oil.

After the rolls have cooled down slightly, Cut and serve with, sliced cucumbers

*A word of advice, prepare one meat roll first and deep fry it. Use it as a guinea pig and sample the roll after it had cooled down sufficiently. Adjust the seasoning of the filling if necessary for the subsequent rolls.