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Lobak (Five-Spice Meat Rolls)

Appetizer & Snack, Asian, Pork, Side Dish

Lobak (Five-Spice Meat Rolls) are delicious pork rolls wrapped in beancurd sheets. These are steamed and pan fried instead of deep fried.

Pan fried Lobak (Five-Spice Meat Rolls) served with sweet chili sauce.

Lobak is a deep fried five-spice pork roll wrapped in beancurd sheet. It has a crunchy exterior with a soft and chewy filling. On the island of Penang, lobak is often made at home by the Straits Chinese as one of the main dishes during festivals and celebrations. At the food courts, it is eaten as a shared or side dish served with deep fried tofu, slices of cucumber, and sweet hoisin and chili sauce. In Kuala Lumpur (as far as I can remember) these meat rolls are also known as lobak but going south towards Malacca and Singapore, they are popularly called ngoh hiang.

Lobak Filling

There are many variations to this dish. Some like the filling to be “meaty” while others prefer it mixed with crunchy vegetables like carrots, water chestnuts, or jicama. Sometimes even shrimps are added to the filling. They are all tasty but I usually make mine with just coarsely ground pork, green onions, and carrots or water chestnuts depending on what I have on hand. The pork can be either coarsely minced or cut into strips.

Lobak (Five-Spice Meat Rolls) served with sweet chili sauce.

Beancurd sheets

Beancurd Sheets

The best beancurd sheets are very thin and almost translucent in appearance. Fresh ones are the best if you can find them. The ones found here come in big round sheets that are folded and frozen. They tend to be brittle and break easily, leaving odd shape pieces that are not suitable for wrapping.

I found an alternative as shown below. These come in rectangular sheets measuring approximately 18 inches by 9 inches. Halving the sheets gives two square sheets of 9 inches by 9 inches, perfect for use as wrappers. They may also be cut into three rectangular sheets of 9 inches by 6 inches each. These sheets are a little thicker but they work well and crisp up nicely when fried.

Different Methods of Wrapping Lobak

There are different methods of wrapping lobak. Usually the meat is place about an inch from the long edge of a rectangular piece of beancurd sheet and rolled. The two edges are sealed with egg white or cornstarch mixture.

Alternatively, the short edges on both sides may be folded in before rolling. I like to wrap it spring roll style with the meat placed diagonally on a square beancurd sheet. The three corners are folded over the meat before rolling.

Pan Frying Instead of Deep Frying

Instead of deep frying, I prefer to steam the meat rolls for about 12 minutes. After which, I will crisp them up by pan frying with just a little vegetable oil in a non-stick pan. This method works nicely for people concerned with eating deep fried foods.

Similar Products Used in Making This Lobak (Five-Spice Meat Rolls)

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy here.

T-fal Thermo-Spot Heat Indicator Anti-Warp Base Glass Lid Cookware, 12-Inch, Gray
Le Creuset of America Craft Series Medium Spatula – Marseille
Cuisipro Stainless Steel Measuring Cup and Spoon Set
Lingham’s Hot Sauce Original, 12.6 Ounces

Pan fried Lobak (Five-Spice Meat Rolls) served with sweet chili sauce.

Lobak (Five-Spice Meat Rolls)

Lobak (Five-Spice Meat Rolls) are delicious pork rolls wrapped in beancurd sheets. These are steamed and pan fried. Just as tasty as the deep fried version.
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 33 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: five-spice meat rolls, lobak lodeh
Servings: 4
Calories: 353kcal
Author: Linda Ooi

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 pieces beancurd sheets
  • 1 lb ground pork (450g)
  • 1½ tsp five-spice powder
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • ¼ tsp ground pepper
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 egg (lightly beaten)
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil for pan frying
  • Egg white (lightly beaten for sealing meat rolls)

Mixed-Ins (Optional)

  • 2 green onions (finely sliced)
  • 1 small carrot (peeled and minced)
  • 4 water chestnuts (peeled and minced)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Combine minced pork, five-spice powder, soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
  • Cut beancurd sheets into four 9-inch squares. Set aside. Bring minced pork mixture out of the refrigerator. Add egg and mixed-ins** and blend until combined.
  • Divide meat into 4 portions. Shape meat into a log. Place each portion of meat diagonally onto beancurd sheet.
  • Bring a corner of the beancurd sheet over meat. Fold in the sides and roll neatly till the end. Seal with a little egg white.
  • Line a steaming rack with lettuce or cabbage. Place rolls in the rack and steam for 12 minutes over medium heat.
  • Remove and prick rolls with a skewer to prevent air bubbles from forming when frying. Pat dry rolls with paper towels.
  • Heat a non-stick pan with vegetable oil. Pan fry rolls on all sides till golden brown. This should take about 5 to 6 minutes.
  • Drain on paper towels. Alternatively, you can deep fry rolls without steaming.
  • Slice rolls on a diagonal and serve with your favorite sweet chili sauce.

NOTES

**Mixed-ins are optional and one, two, or all three may be added.

NUTRITION

Calories: 353kcal
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Sweet Chili Sauce

My favorite sweet chili sauce is Lingham’s Hot Sauce from Malaysia. I try to have a bottle in the refrigerator at all times.

Pan fried Lobak (Five-Spice Meat Rolls).

Chinese New Year Eve Reunion Dinner

I made these rolls for the Chinese New Year Eve Reunion Dinner. Since I was preparing many dishes at the same time, I did not have time to mince any carrots or water chestnuts to add to the filling. On top of that, I used store-bought ground pork which tends to be more finely minced. You can say this was a cutting-the-corners kind of dish but it worked if you are not too fussy. If you have the time, do cut or slice your own pork coarsely.

I made a double batch and brought some of these rolls to the Korean Lunar New Year Feast we were invited to. I wish I would have made more as they were the first dish to go. Both kids and adults love Lobak! 🙂

Easy pan fried Lobak (Five-Spice Meat Rolls).



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Comments

  1. Lyndsey@TheTinySkillet says

    Oh boy, these sound terrific! I want to make these, but I’ll have to change it up a bit…just because. 🙂 I have been wanting a good recipe using bean curd sheets, and your step by step instructions and tips are great! Thanks Biren!!

    Reply

    • Biren says

      You are most welcomed Cynthia! I made a double batch and saved two meat rolls for pictures the next day when things weren’t so hectic. I hope you enjoy them.

      Reply

  15. Reeni says

    Thank-you for showing us how to make these Biren! I never saw the bean curd sheets before, they cook up so light and flaky. I can see why they disappear first – they look incredibly good!

    Reply

  17. tigerfish says

    Yes, we know it as ngoh hiang in Singapore and usually steam it before deep-frying too, so that the meat is cooked and the deep-fry is just to crisp up the skin.

    Reply

    • Biren says

      I guess I am not the only one steaming it then. My idea was to cook it first so that I can pan fry instead of deep fry to cut down on the use of cooking oil. Thanks for letting me know how it is done in Singapore.

      Reply

  19. Dongxing says

    I am so glad the waiting is now over! I am definitely going to make this one day as it is one of my favourite snacks. I always order the beancurd with fish and prawn fillings when I have dim sum. And when I am back in M’sia, I always look for this dish to eat. Thank you for sharing this recipe, I can’t wait to try this out very soon.

    Reply

    • Biren says

      Didn’t realize you were waiting for this recipe. I am glad I posted it. Anything with beancurd sheet or tofu is a favorite of mine. Hope to post more recipes with beancurd sheets in the future.

      Reply

  20. mjskit says

    I’m with your kids – I love lobak! Actually, I’ve never had it before, but just looking at your pictures and recipe I know it is something that I would absolutely love! It doesn’t look very hard to make at all so I’m definitely going to have to make these. thanks for this recipe!

    Reply

  24. lisawood says

    What should i do with the dry sheets of soya beancurd? Should I soak them in the water first before I put the stuffing?

    Reply

  25. Stacey Green says

    I love these. I just made them. But with cabbage casings as I didn’t have bean curd sheets at home 🙁 they are so great. Using bean curd next time yummmm

    Reply