Nogh Hiang

I have been dreaming about this for ages but never got around to it because it not only takes a while to make, it took me sometime to find the correct bean curd skin for the wrapping. Nogh Hiang is a uniquely Hokkien or Teochew dish served in South-East Asia.

"Nogh Hiang" means "five fragrances" in Teochew. Basically, the roll is season with 5-spices. It is like  spring roll except it's rolled in a bean curd skin instead of a wheat-based skin. The roll is filled with seasoned minced pork and shrimp (optional) then deep fried.

It's usually served with sliced cucumbers and "lap cheung" (Chinese sausage). Use Kecap Manis as a condiment. I just served mine on its own with kecap manis over rice. I personally like ABC brand from Indonesia the best. While you can buy it from Amazon in a pinch, it will be a lot cheaper to purchase it from your local Asian grocer.

Bean curd skin is made by fishing out the skin that forms on the surface of soy milk. It is then dried. You could be able get the bean curd skin from the frozen aisle at the Asian grocer as well. There is a dried version that is not refrigerated. This is not suitable for this recipe.

Ingredients

Filling
2 lbs pork
1 medium jicama, peeled, diced and steamed
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
1/2 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (optional)
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp amino acids or soy sauce
1 Tbsp five spice powder
1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
1 tsp white pepper (optional)
1 egg
1 Tbsp corn starch

Wrapper
Frozen bean curd skin
1 egg, beaten

Method

Get a steamer going. Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse the pork into a very course mince. Add jicama can pulse until you get a course mince. Add all other filling ingredients and pulse until you get a well mixed fine mince.

On a flat surface, lay out 1 bean curd skin. Form a meat roll and place it on an edge of the skin. Roll the skin and meat towards the opposite edge, folding the bean curd sides in into the package before sealing the final side with the some beaten egg. Repeat. Place the rolls in the steamer and steam until the skin turns translucent.

In a separate pan, heat oil over medium heat. To test if the oil is hot enough, place a dry fork in it. If the oil produces bubbles, the oil is hot enough. Place the steamed rolls one by one into the oil, making sure they do not touch each other. Fry each side until golden brown. Drain and serve.