Ngoh Hiang, Wu Xiang

I was very excited when I spotted this recipe in "The New Mrs Lee Cookbook". What excited me in this Ngoh Hiang recipe was the use of crab meat and immediately and physically bookmarked that page in the cookbook for my CNY preparation.

The rest of the ingredients and preparation method in this recipe are not much different from the other Ngoh Hiang recipes that I know. BUT (2 big BUTs) there is literally no vegetable in the filling except the water chestnut and NO five-spice powder used in the recipe.

The Ngoh Hiang turned out well in terms of taste and I like the usual crunchiness provided by the water chestnut but the texture was tougher than what I like. I believe the presence of vegetable like onion and carrot would have compounded up the dryness of the meat filling.

I'm going to attempt this again with vegetable and maybe Tau Kwa (Beancurd) to improve the texture. But before that, I have to finish up the remaining rolls in the fridge - I made 80 rolls (5x the recipe portion below) using this recipe! 

I am determined to experiment until I get the perfect Ngoh Hiang recipe. Stay tuned!

Ngoh Hiang

Adapted from "The New Mrs Lee Cookbook" by Mrs Lee Chin Koon and updated by her granddaughter Shermay Lee

(My change and comments in Blue)

Ingredients

2 sheets dried tofu skin (fupei) [1 tofu skin can make 24 rolls]

oil, for deep-frying

Filling

8 water chestnuts

1 egg

160g minced prawns (shrimps)

160g minced pork

160g minced pork belly

100g crab meat, flaked

1/4 tsp pepper [I added five-spice powder too!]

Flour Paste

Plain (all-purpose) flour

Water

Preparation

Using a pair of scissors or a knife, cut the tofu skin into 15cm squares, or slightly larger if preferred. Using a slightly damp cloth, wipe both sides to remove any dirt. (and salt)

Rinse, peel then finely mince the water chestnuts. Beat the egg.

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the filling together.

Mix equal amounts of flour and water to form a small amount of paste.

Place a tofu skin on a clean dry surface with a corner pointing towards you. Spoon about 4 rounded tablespooonfuls of the filling in a roll on the skin. Fold the corner of the skin facing you over the filling, then fold the left and right hand corners over it. Roll away from you to form a log about 12cm long and 3 cm wide. Seal the end with a dab of the flour paste. Continue to make more rolls with the remaining ingredients. [I did not use this "diamond" method. Instead, just roll up the square and leave the 2 sides unfolded so that the ends will be crispy when fried]

[I steamed the rolls for 10 minutes, cooled and stored in fridge until needed during CNY.]

Method

Heat some oil in a wok or pan over a medium-high flame. 

Deep-fry the rolls until golden brown. Remove and drain well.

Slice each roll diagonally into 3 or 4 pieces. Place on a serving plate.

Serve with chilli sauce and/or sweet flour soy sauce on the side.

I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.