Stuffed Bean Curd Skins

Stuffed bean curd skins are similar to egg rolls, except they are braised, not deep-fried. Also, at the Asian supermarket, the wrapper will either say bean curd skins or egg roll wrappers. Apples and oranges. So, if I can make these, ANYONE can. You will need a ground meat for your filling--pork, turkey, etc. I used turkey. After that, you can simply throw in whatever you prefer--water chestnuts, chopped shitaki mushrooms, onion. Here's what I like to use:

1 lb. of ground turkey
1 Chinese sausage link (cut lengthwise and then diced)
1/2 can of water chestnuts, chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 egg
1 cup of dried breadcrumbs
soy sauce
sesame oil
wine
salt
pepper
chicken broth
oyster sauce

All you do is throw all the food into the bowl. You can eyeball it with the soy sauce, maybe about 2 tablespoons. Then add a few drops of sesame oil, around 2 teaspoons of cooking wine. A couple of dashes of salt because the sausage is already salty. Then a dash of pepper. Mix it really well until it seems like everything is distributed. I like to mix with a pair of chopsticks. You can then cover the filling and leave it anywhere from a couple hours to overnight so that everything marinates.

Handling the bean curd skins is probably the hardest. One pack of these can be found in the refrigerator or freezer section of the Asian supermarket. Pretty much every store carries this brand.

You have to unfold the sheets and they can have the texture of flaky phyllo dough. Use a brush to douse them with a bit of water so they become more pliable. Use a pair of kitchen shears and cut them into pieces that are going to be rolled up later. How big you cut them depends on how big you want the rolls. I prefer pieces that are about 3" wide and 4" long.

Put about 2 tsps of filling (or more if it will fit) and the width side. Then fold in the left and right sides and roll the skin over and over. Stop just before it's completely rolled up and brush a cornstarch-water solution on the roll so the last of the wrapper will be sealed against it.

Pan-fry the rolls on one side until it's slightly brown on medium heat. Then turn them over to brown the other side. Then lower the heat and pour in some chicken broth, enough to cover the rolls half-way. I personally prefer throwing in a bit of oyster sauce at this point too. Cover the pan. The stuffed bean curd skins should be cooked in about 5 minutes. But cut one open just to check. Voila!