Ngor hiang (五香 wu xiang) is basically a stuffed beancurd roll. It derives its name from the Hokkien/Teochew pronunciation of “five-spice”, an important ingredient in the stuffing. Ngor hiang is always part of the menu when dining out with my Hokkien and Teochew parents at banquets.
There are two versions of this dish. The Teochew version comes with yam and is slightly heavier on the palate. The Hokkien one is mostly made of meat. In this vegan ngor hiang, I opted for an alliums-free version of the Hokkien one using OmniMeat.
This is actually a really simple dish to make, and is extremely tasty! A serving of two rolls is really not enough when I dine with my partner. The good thing about this is you can make lots of rolls and freeze them for later. These vegan ngor hiang are great on the Chinese New Year table, or as part of an appetizer plate.
Honestly, the hardest part is getting the right beancurd skin. You are looking for a very thin beancurd skin, not the thick ones used in salads or soups. It needs to be so thin that it is translucent. Sadly, I could not get that type of tofu skin here, so I had to make do with a rehydrated fried tofu roll meant for hot pot. It worked pretty well, although it was a bit of an oily nightmare to wrap.
Once these babies are wrapped, they deep-fry to golden in less than ten minutes. And I bet you they will last even less than that on the table!
Ingredients
- Stuffing
Instructions
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Mix all your stuffing ingredients together.
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Soak your beancurd skin until soften and lay it out flat. Gently dab bean curd skin with a kitchen towel to absorb excess water and salt.
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Put half the stuffing into the beancurd skin and press it into a tight log.
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Roll tightly until closed. Generally, we do not tuck the ends in like a spring roll, but you can if you want!
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Stick the openings together with tapioca starch, or just tie them with some chives or cotton string. You can freeze them at this stage.
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Heat oil in a large and deep saucepan. Drip a small amount of beancurd skin into the oil, if it cooks and rises immediately, the oil is hot enough. Carefully drop your ngor hiang into the pan and fry until golden.
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Slice and serve with chilli sauce.
