Loh Bak (Five-Spice Pork Roll) 五香肉卷

Penang Loh Bak  (Five-Spice Pork Roll) 五香肉卷 is always mixed up with the Ngoh Hiang which is a very popular dish in Singapore because they have so much similarity in the ingredients as well as the way how the dish is being prepared. However, a true Penangite will know the different between Loh Bak and Ngoh Hiang. 

Loh Bak is always prepare using the pork strips with main ingredient such as yam (some, like my late-grandma and my mum prefer wrap the pork roll without yam), no steaming of the pork roll before deep frying it into golden brown meat roll. As for the Ngoh Hiang, it is prepare using the minced pork with ingredients such as fish or prawn paste in it, steaming of the pork roll before deep frying is require. 

I love both Loh Bak and Ngoh Hiang, but my siblings love only Loh Bak because that's how my late grandma and my mum prepare the festive dish, this aromatic five-spice pork roll is filled with pork strips with crispy crunchy exterior bean curd skin and flavourful filling. The fragrant of five-spice lingered in the kitchen after I deep fried the Loh Bak, this made me missed my hometown... a lot. 

yield 15 pork rolls 

Ingredients:
a few sheets of dried bean curd skin, cut into smaller piece if require. 

Filling:
800g pork belly fillet, sliced into thin strips with thickness of estimate 1 cm
500g yam, peeled, cubed and steamed until soft
some spring onions, cut into small rings
2 big onions, peeled and chopped into small
5 tbsp Chinese five-spice powder, add more if you love the taste
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp tapioca flour
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Dipping Sauce:
Thai sweet chilli
1 lime juice

Method: 
1. Combine all the ingredients for the filling in a  big bowl, mix with a pair of chopstick. Keep in fridge for 30 mins.

2. Place the dried bean curd skin on a flat worktop, clean it with a piece of clean wet kitchen towel, to remove the salt on the bean curd sheet. Spoon 2-3 tbsp filling on the bean curd sheet, fold the edge over the filling, fold in the left and right sides and roll up to form a log. Remember to roll up tightly. 

3. Prepare the wok for deep-fry the pork rolls. Turn the heat down to medium when the oil is hot, lower the pork roll into the hot oil, one or two at a time. Deep fry for 5-10 mins or until the bean curd skin is light brown and the filling is cooked. Drain the Lor Bak on a kitchen paper.

4. Serve it hot with the whole pork roll or cut into smaller pieces and serve with Thai sweet chilli-lime sauce.