Beancurd skin roll is a lovely dim sum with shrimp and pork stuffing. It may not be as famous as Char Siu Bao and shrimp dumplings, but it remains one of the dim sum served across all dim sum restaurants due to its unique taste. 

I will share with you my beancurd skin roll recipe in this article. It remains one of the best Cantonese dim sums I have ever tried.

Beancurd skin roll (also called fu pei guen, tofu skin roll /tofu roll) is one of the most beloved items at the dim sum restaurants. It is called 腐皮卷 in Chinese.

The stuffing is a mixture of shrimp and pork, mushrooms, cloud fungus, and bamboo shoots. It is wrapped with the bean curd skin, deep-fried, and steamed. The dim sum restaurant will make a sauce with a broth and soy sauce and drizzle it on the rolls to serve.

Here is the step-by-step guide to making the beancurd skin roll just like those on the menu of the dim sum restaurants.

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1. Prepare the stuffing

The main component of the stuffing is ground pork and shrimp.

a. Prepare the pork and shrimp

1. Clean the shrimp, remove the head and shell and devein. Then, coarsely chop the shrimp meat. 
2. I asked my butcher to ground the pork for me, consisting of a quarter of fat. The fat helps to keep the pork tender. Otherwise, the texture of pure lean pork will make the stuffing taste tough. 

b. The rest of the ingredients & the seasonings

1. Place the minced pork and chopped shrimp in a large mixing bowl.
2. Now add the seasonings. The seasonings for the stuffing are salt, sugar, white pepper, light soy sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, and cornstarch.
3. Cut some green onions (spring onions) crosswise into thin rings.
4. Soak the wood ear fungus 木耳 (or cloud fungus 云耳) and dried shiitake mushrooms with water to rehydrate them, then cut them into small pieces. 
5. As for the bamboo shoots, place them in boiling water to blanch for a minute, then cut them into small pieces. 
6. Now place all the ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly.
7. I also add a tablespoon of ginger juice into the stuffing. Another option is finely chopped a tablespoon of ginger and mixed it with the stuffing.
8. Next, lift the meat patty and slam it repeatedly into the mixing bowl. This action will break down the meat’s connective tissue and produce a more cohesive texture with a bouncy mouthfeel.
9. The stuffing is ready to use.

Note:

• You can also include other ingredients in the stuffing, such as carrots, bean sprouts, and water chestnuts. 
• Potato starch and tapioca starch are substitutes for cornstarch, which are interchangeable.
• Blanching the bamboo shoots for a short while will remove the unwanted smell.
• If you are allergic to seafood, just use pork to make the tofu skin rolls. On the other hand, you can use only shrimp to make shrimp rolls if you do not eat pork.

Note: The bean curd sheet is also called bean curd skin in English, but sometimes even the Chinese word can be confusing. It is called 豆腐皮 in Chinese, which is soft and pliable. On the contrary, 腐竹, translated as beancurd skin in some recipes, is crispy and can not be used for this recipe. If unsure, show the Chinese word 豆腐皮 to the shopkeeper to ensure you purchase the right thing.

2. Wrap the bean curd rolls

1. Unfold the large sheet of bean curd skin on a flat surface, preferably on the work table.
2. Cut the bean curd skin to 12cm x 12 cm square, which will produce the size of bean curd rolls usually served in the dim sum restaurants.
3. Meanwhile, mix 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cold water to make a cornstarch slurry.  Apply some to the edges of the tofu skin. The cornstarch slurry acts as a glue to secure the folding.
4. Place a portion of the stuffing on the bean curd skin, then wrap the stuffing like closing an envelope. (Please refer to the embedded video on this page). 
5. Cover the unused bean curd skins with a damp cloth to prevent them from drying.

Note: Beancurd skin is readily available at the local market. If you are not living in Asia, you should get at it at most Asian grocery stores.

3. Deep-fried the bean curd rolls

The flavor of the bean curd rolls is best if you deep-fried them, followed by steaming them. You can skip the deep-frying part, but the flavor is not as good. 

1. Heat some oil to medium-high in a frying pan.
2. When the oil temperature is about 170°C/340°F, place the beancurd rolls into the oil. Do not crowd them in the pan to avoid them from sticking together.
3. Give them a gentle push with chopsticks to prevent them from sticking to the pan.
4. Shallow fry them until both sides turn golden brown. Remove.
5. Drain the excess oil of the finished bean curd rolls on a paper towel.

4. Steam the beancurd skin rolls

1. Set up a steaming station. I use the traditional way, i.e., my stainless steel wok and a trivet. You can use a steamer set specially made for this purpose if you steam your food regularly.
2. When the water is rolling boil, steam the beancurd skin rolls over medium-high heat for eight minutes or until the meat is thoroughly cooked.

Note: Another method is to drizzle the sauce (refer to the following section) on the beancurd rolls before steaming. I prefer only drizzling the sauce on the bean curd skin rolls after steaming to leave an option for anyone who likes to eat it without the sauce.

5. Make the sauce

The sauce is optional. Here are the simple steps on how to prepare it. 

1. Heat some cooking oil to saute the chopped garlic in a pan over medium heat.
2. Add the chicken broth, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and white pepper.
3. Reduce the amount of broth to half.
4. Thicken it with the cornstarch slurry.

More bean curd recipes for you:

There are some bean curd related recipes I would recommend to you since you are interested in trying the beancurd skin roll.:

• Stir-fry beancurd skin with mushrooms – a classic vegetarian recipe popular in every Cantonese family.
• Vegetarian duck – a creation by the Chinese vegetarian practitioner. It is made with bean curd skin but tastes like roast duck. Do not miss out on this unique recipe.

Continue to Content

Beancurd Skin Roll Recipe

Yield: 12 rolls

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Beancurd skin roll is a lovely dim sum with shrimp and pork stuffing. It may not be as famous as Char Siu Bao and shrimp dumplings, but it remains one of the dim sum served across all dim sum restaurants due to its unique taste.

Print

Ingredients

A (Main ingredients)

• Bean Curd Skin (cut into 10 small pieces, 12cm square)
• 200g ground Pork
• 100g chopped shrimp meat
• 50g bamboo shoots, rough chopped
• 50g shiitake mushrooms, cut into small dice
• 20g wood ear fungus, cut into tiny pieces
• 1 tbsp ginger juice
• 2 stalks of spring onions, cut into thin rings

B (Seasoning for the stuffing)

• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

C (Ingredients for the sauce)

• 2 tsp cooking oil
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• a pinch of white pepper
• 1 tsp cornstarch (make a slurry with 1 tbsp of cold water)

Instructions

Prepare the stuffing

1. Cut some green onions (spring onions) crosswise into thin rings.
2. Soak the wood ear fungus 木耳 (or cloud fungus 云耳) and dried shiitake mushrooms with water to rehydrate them, then cut them into small pieces. 
3. As for the bamboo shoots, place them in boiling water to blanch for a minute, then cut them into small pieces. 
4. Place all the ingredients in A (except the bean curd skin) in a large mixing bowl.
5. Add all the seasonings in B. Mix thoroughly.
6. Next, lift the meat patty and slam it repeatedly into the mixing bowl. This action will break down the meat's connective tissue and produce a more cohesive texture with a bouncy mouthfeel. Finally, the stuffing is ready to use.

Wrap the bean curd rolls

1. Open the large sheet of bean curd skin on a flat surface, preferably on the work table.
2. Cut the bean curd skin to 12cm x 12 cm square.
3. Meanwhile, mix 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cold water to make a cornstarch slurry.  Apply some to the edges of the tofu skin. 
4. Place a portion of the stuffing on the bean curd skin, then wrap the stuffing like closing an envelope. (Please refer to the embedded video on this page). 

Deep-fried the bean curd rolls

1. Heat some oil to 170°C/340°F.
2. Place the beancurd rolls into the oil. Do not crowd the roll in the pan to avoid them sticking together.
3. Shallow fry them until both sides turn golden brown. Remove.
4. Drain the excess oil of the finished bean curd rolls on a paper towel.

Steam the beancurd skin rolls

1. Set up a steaming station. When the water is rolling boil, steam the beancurd skin rolls over medium-high heat for eight minutes or until the meat is thoroughly cooked.

Make the sauce

1. Heat some cooking oil to saute the chopped garlic in a pan over medium heat.
2. Add the chicken broth, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and white pepper.
3. Reduce the amount of broth to half.
4. Thicken with the cornstarch slurry.
5. Drizzle the sauce on the bean curd skin rolls to serve.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 109Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 383mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 10g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 17/6/2022