Hakka Taro Roll
This Hakka taro roll with ground meat, mushrooms, shrimp, Chinese sausage, and peanuts, is a little-known delicious recipe that you may only see around Lunar New Year.
Servings: 10
Calories: 239kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound large taro (peeled and finely julienned)
- 10 ounces ground pork (or dark meat ground chicken)
- ½ cup dried shiitake mushroom (soaked in hot water for at least 2 hours or overnight, squeezed of excess liquid & diced; reserve the soaking liquid)
- ⅓ cup unsalted roasted peanuts (coarsely chopped)
- ¼ cup dried shrimp (soaked 2 hours and minced)
- 1 link Chinese sausage (lap cheong, finely diced)
- 3 scallions (finely chopped)
- 1 egg
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon five spice powder
- ⅓ cup sweet potato starch
- ½ cup water (the liquid from soaking the mushrooms)
- 1 large sheet fresh bean curd skin
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the taro, ground pork (or chicken), mushrooms, peanuts, shrimp, sausage, scallions, egg, salt, sugar, five spice powder, sweet potato starch, and water. Use a rubber spatula to mix well, until everything is combined into a thick pasty filling. Flatten the filling in the bottom of the bowl so it’s even, and use your spatula to dive it into roughly 4 equal portions.
- Cut your sheet of tofu skin into quarters. If the tofu sheet is dry and breaks when you try to bend it, lightly brush it with water to soften it. Fold in the uneven sides so you have a rectangle. Each individual quarter should be about 9x11 inches (23x28cm).
- To wrap, place one portion filling at the short end of a tofu skin quarter, compressing it into a firm log that stretches the length of the tofu skin, about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap the tofu skin tightly around the filling log and place it seam-side down on a heatproof dish that will fit into your wok for steaming. Repeat with the remaining bean curd skin and filling, setting the rolls onto a heatproof plate so they aren’t touching.
- Prepare a wok with a 2- to 3-inch steaming rack, and fill with enough water to come just below the rack. Get more information on how to set up a steamer. Bring the water to a boil, place the dish on the rack, cover, and steam over medium-high heat for 35 minutes (check it periodically and add more boiling water as needed).
- Remove from heat and let the rolls cool completely (covered) before slicing. Slice the rolls on a slight angle into ½-inch (1.25cm) thick pieces. You can eat them as is, or pan-fry the cut pieces in an oiled frying pan over medium heat. Pan-fry for about 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown.
Notes
You can make these rolls up to 2 days in advance, steam them, and refrigerate them in an airtight container. When you're ready to eat them, steam to reheat, or simply slice and pan-fry.
Nutrition
Calories: 239kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 613mg | Potassium: 502mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 97IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 2mg