Ngor Hiang (Lor Bak)

Method18 steps · about 1 hr 20 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Coarsely mince the 1 kg fatty pork with a chopper, retaining a little texture and avoiding a paste. Keep it chilled while preparing the other filling ingredients.

   Uses 1 kg fatty pork (wu hua rou), coarsely minced

2. 2

   Step 2: Peel and devein the 600 g shell-on prawns. Cut each peeled prawn into two or three pieces and keep chilled; discard the shells and veins.

   Uses 600 g shell-on prawns, to peel and devein

3. 3

   Step 3: Brush the 20 water chestnuts clean, peel them and cut into small cubes. Cut rather than crush them so they retain their crunch.

   Uses 20 water chestnuts · Clean water, for washing water chestnuts

4. 4

   Step 4: Peel and finely dice the carrot (1). Wash and dry the two spring-onion stalks and cut them into small pieces. Peel and slice the twelve shallots.

   Uses 1 carrot · 2 spring-onion stalks · 12 shallots · Clean water, for washing spring onion

5. 5

   Step 5: If using the optional ten unsalted cream crackers, put them in a clean bag and coarsely crush them.

   Uses 10 unsalted cream crackers, optional

6. 6

   Step 6: Beat the two eggs together. Reserve one quarter of the beaten mixture in a separate bowl for sealing the wrappers; keep the remaining three quarters for the filling. Keep both portions chilled until needed.

   Uses 2 eggs, beaten: ¾ for filling and ¼ reserved for sealing

7. 7

   Step 7: Mix the chilled chopped pork from step 1, peeled prawn pieces from step 2, diced water chestnuts from step 3, prepared carrot, spring onion and shallots from step 4, optional cracker crumbs from step 5 and three quarters of the beaten egg from step 6. Add 2½ tsp five-spice powder, 1½ tsp fine salt, 2 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp sesame oil, the separate 1 tbsp filling oil and ½ tsp pepper. Mix until sticky and keep chilled while preparing the wrappers.

   Uses Chilled coarsely minced fatty pork · Peeled prawn pieces only, excluding shells and veins · Diced edible water chestnuts only, excluding washing water and peel · Prepared vegetables only, excluding discarded washing water and peel · Optional crushed cream crackers · ¾ of the two-egg mixture, for filling · 2½ tsp five-spice powder · 1½ tsp fine salt

8. 8

   Step 8: Dampen a clean cloth with clean water. Gently wipe both sides of the bean-curd sheet (1) to remove its salty surface coating.

   Uses 1 salted bean-curd sheet, cut into 16 squares · Clean water, for dampening the clean wrapper-wiping cloth

9. 9

   Step 9: Cut the wiped sheet from step 8 into sixteen equal squares. Keep them ready for wrapping.

   Uses Sheet only, excluding cloth and discarded wiping water

10. 10

    Step 10: Place one square from step 9 on a clean surface. Spoon about 2–3 tbsp of filling from step 7 onto it, leaving a 1 cm border for sealing.

    Uses One of the sixteen squares · About 2–3 tbsp filling for this roll

11. 11

    Step 11: Brush the border of the filled square from step 10 with a little of the reserved sealing egg from step 6. Roll it up and seal both ends, gently pressing out trapped air without packing the filling too tightly. Repeat with the remaining squares from step 9 and filling from step 7, using the reserved egg to seal each roll. Wrap only as supplies permit; keep any unused raw filling and egg chilled for separate cooking.

    Uses First filled bean-curd square · A little from the reserved quarter of the beaten-egg mixture for each seal · Squares remaining after the first roll · Filling remaining after the first 2–3 tbsp draw

12. 12

    Step 12: Lightly oil a steaming tray. Arrange the wrapped rolls from step 11 with gaps between them, keeping any unused raw filling or sealing egg separate and chilled.

    Uses A little oil, for greasing the steaming tray · Wrapped rolls only, excluding unused filling, egg and wrappers

13. 13

    Step 13: Add sufficient steamer water to the wok below the tray rack and bring it to a full boil. Keep the water below the food tray and maintain enough water for the steaming phase.

    Uses Water, for the steamer below the tray

14. 14

    Step 14: Place the tray from step 12 on the rack over the boiling water from step 13 and cover. Steam for about 15 minutes from steady steam, then check that the pork filling is fully cooked to 71°C and the prawns are opaque. Continue steaming as needed before cooling the rolls.

    Check cooked Ngor Hiang filling · 15 minUses Tray of spaced raw rolls and tray oil · Boiling external steamer water

15. 15

    Step 15: Let the cooked rolls cool on their tray until firm enough to lift without breaking. Keep this cooling brief and refrigerate promptly if they will not be fried soon, using a shallow container rather than a long room-temperature wait.

    Uses Cooked rolls and tray only, excluding external steamer water

16. 16

    Step 16: Put the separate two bowls of frying oil (2) into a wok with ample space above the oil and heat over medium heat. Keep the cooked rolls from step 15 ready before heating.

    Uses 2 bowls cooking oil, for deep-frying

17. 17

    Step 17: Lower one cooked roll from step 15 carefully into the hot oil from step 16 to test that it fries steadily without scorching. Fry until golden brown, then repeat in uncrowded batches, watching and adjusting the heat. Drain the fried rolls on clean kitchen paper. If the cooked rolls were refrigerated, heat their centers thoroughly to 74°C before serving.

    Uses Cooked rolls only, excluding the tray and its residue · Heated frying-oil reservoir

18. 18

    Step 18: Slice the drained fried rolls from step 17 diagonally into bite-sized pieces and serve promptly. Offer ready Ngor Hiang sweet sauce and chilli sauce separately if wanted. The author gives ten portions as a guide, while the number of completed rolls depends on the wrappers and filling used.

    Uses Fried rolls only, excluding remaining frying oil · Ready Ngor Hiang sweet sauce, for serving if wanted · Ready chilli sauce, for serving if wanted