Steamed Tofu Skin Rolls
腐皮捲 (Fu Pi Juan)
Have you ever been drinking a mug of hot soymilk, and found a skin forming on top of it? Well, that’s tofu skin. Tofu skin (豆皮 or 腐皮)[1] has been eaten for centuries in China, first appearing in the historical record in the 14th century. A great source of protein, tofu skin was the key ingredient in what was perhaps the first deliberate meat substitute. Buddhist monks forbidden from eating meat would collect layers of tofu skin, seasoning them to make mock chicken or duck, sometimes wrapping vegetables inside them for additional flavor. These dishes have gone on to be well known in Chinese cuisine in their own right, but they also evolved into the much thinner tofu skin rolls found at dim sum restaurants. In contrast to their monastery ancestors, these rolls are most often filled with pork—the difficult life of a vegetarian at a dim sum restaurant continues.
Ingredients
For the Rolls
12 sheets tofu skin, dry or fresh
1 lb ground pork
5 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3 oz bamboo shoots, julienned
1 inch ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp Shaoxing rice wine
Vegetable oil
If you have fresh tofu skin available, use it here! However, in most places tofu skin is only available in its dried form. Tofu skin sheets easily crack apart when they are dry, so handle them carefully. Place the sheets in a baking tray large enough to hold them flat, and pour warm water over the sheets. Let the tofu skin absorb the water and soften for 30 minutes before using it.
While the tofu skin sheets soften, we can make our pork filling. In a large bowl, combine the ground pork with the minced ginger, minced garlic, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons rice wine. Mix thoroughly to bring the filling together. We should also prep our other filling ingredients. Thinly slice the mushrooms, and cut the bamboo shoots in matchsticks (canned bamboo shoots are often already julienned).
Before we start wrapping, we first must prepare a work station. Have your bowl of pork filling standing by, together with bowls containing the mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Have a large paper towel-lined plate on which you can wrap the rolls, and another plate lined with paper towels to hold the finished rolls. Why paper towels? The tofu skin will be wet and slippery, and friction from the paper towel will stop the rolls from coming loose and unrolling themselves.
We want approximately 5 by 7 inch pieces of tofu skin in which there are no cracks. Cracks and tears can grow quickly under tension, which will ruin a roll (If you are working with fresh tofu skin, you won’t have this problem!). Identify an area of tofu skin where there are no cracks, and, under the water, carefully away any torn areas from this section of tofu skin. Then carefully lift the piece of tofu skin out of the water and place it on your wrapping plate. Orient the plate so that the tofu skin is in the “portrait” orientation: with the shorter side going across and the longer side going down. Pat the tofu skin dry with another paper towel.
Place about 2 tablespoons of pork filling one inch from the top, and form it with your fingers into a rectangle about 3 inches long, leaving 1 inch of excess tofu skin to either side. Place a few slices of mushroom and a few pieces of bamboo shoot onto the pork, pressing them down slightly so they bind to the rest of the filling. Then, as if you were folding a burrito, fold the long edges of the tofu skin over. Then carefully roll the tofu skin toward you, pushing all the air out. If all goes well, you should end up with a roll about 3 inches wide and 1 inch in diameter, resembling a spring roll or small burrito. Remember, however, that unlike wheat-based wrappers, tofu skin has absolutely no elasticity, and will tear easily. Therefore, the margins around the acceptable level of force—taut enough to avoid air in the roll, but loose enough to avoid tearing—are very thin. Work carefully. Place the completed roll seam side down on the holding plate, and continue until all of the rolls are completed.[2]
The next step in the process is to fry the tofu skin rolls. Frying adds flavor by browning the proteins in the tofu skin, and also drives out some of the water, allowing the tofu skin to later absorb more of the sauce. Dim sum restaurants usually deep-fry these before steaming them, but at home it is much more convenient to just pan-fry the rolls, and also makes for a less greasy final product. Heat about 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Place the tofu skin rolls in the pan seam side down and fry on the first side for 1-2 minutes. Then turn each roll by 90 degrees and fry for another 1-2 minutes. Continue frying and turning until all sides of the rolls are golden, about 5 minutes total.
While the rolls fry, we can make the sauce, which will serve as the braising liquid for the rolls. In a saucepan, combine 1 cup chicken stock with 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons sesame oil. Bring this mixture to a simmer. Mix 2 teaspoons cornstarch with a bit of cold water to make a cornstarch slurry, then stir the slurry into the sauce. Simmer the sauce for about 3 minutes, or until thickened slightly.
You will find that after frying, the tofu skin rolls will hold their shape better and are much easier to move about. Remove the fried rolls from the pan and place them in a shallow heatproof bowl (one which fits into your steamer). You want the rolls to fit in a single layer, so use multiple small bowls if necessary. Pour over just enough of the sauce to come halfway up the sides of the rolls.
Bring the water in your steamer to a boil, and steam the tofu skin rolls for 20 minutes. Flip the rolls once about halfway through the cook. This allows the tofu skin on both sides to absorb some sauce. When 20 minutes are up, remove the bowl from the steamer. Garnish with scallions if desired, and serve hot.
Substitutions
Many dim sum restaurants now also serve a deep-fried version of tofu skin rolls, in addition to the more traditional steamed versions. If you want to recreate that version, simply deep fry the rolls at 375° F instead of pan frying, and serve them immediately after frying.
Other options for filling tofu skin rolls include shrimp, enoki mushrooms, carrots, garlic chives, or water chestnuts. To make an entirely vegetarian roll, omit the pork and instead add some shredded cabbage and carrots. You will also have to substitute the chicken stock in the sauce for vegetable stock, and use a mushroom-based oyster sauce.
[1] 豆皮 literally translates to “tofu skin.” Though tofu skin is made from soy milk, however, it is not strictly speaking a tofu as it contains no coagulant.
[2] At the end of this process, you will probably have some leftover tofu skin trimmings. These can be used in stir-fries, or just briefly pan-fried and eaten with some oyster sauce.
Recipe
Prep Time: 30 min Cook Time: 25 min Total Time: 1 hr 15 min
(+20 min inactive)
Difficulty: 4/5
Heat Sources: 2 burners
Equipment: steamer, pan, saucepan, kitchen shears, large baking tray
Servings: 12 rolls
Ingredients
For the Rolls
12 sheets tofu skin, dry or fresh
1 lb ground pork
5 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3 oz bamboo shoots, julienned
1 inch ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp Shaoxing rice wine
Vegetable oil
For the Sauce
1 cup chicken stock
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
1. If working with dry tofu skin, carefully place the tofu skin sheets in a baking tray, and pour over warm water. Let the tofu skin soften for 30 minutes before using.
2. Meanwhile, make the filling by combining the ground pork, minced ginger, minced garlic, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and 2 tsp rice wine in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly to combine.
3. When you are ready to fill the rolls, prepare a wrapping station with the bowl of filling, the sliced mushrooms and bamboo shoots, the tofu skin sheets in water, a paper towel-lined plate for folding, and another paper towel-lined plate for holding the finished rolls.
4. Using kitchen shears, carefully cut a sheet of tofu skin to about 5 by 7 inches, and lay it on the plate. Place about 2 tbsp pork filling on the sheet, and form it into a rectangle about 3 inches long. Lay several bamboo shoots and mushroom slices on the pork.
5. Fold over the sides of the tofu skin sheet, then tightly roll the tofu skin around the pork, being careful not to tear the skin. Place the finished roll on the paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all of the tofu skin rolls are made.
6. Heat about 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Fry the tofu skin rolls for 5 minutes total, about 1-2 minutes per side, until golden.
7. While the tofu rolls fry, combine chicken stock, 1 tsp soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Mix 2 tsp cornstarch with a bit of cold water to form a slurry, then pour it into the saucepan. Simmer the sauce for 3 minutes or until thickened.
8. Place the fried tofu skin rolls into a shallow bowl in a single layer. Pour over enough of the sauce to come halfway up the rolls.
9. Bring water in a steamer to a boil. Steam the tofu skin rolls for 20 minutes, flipping the rolls once halfway through the cook. Garnish with scallions if desired, and serve immediately.
