Traditional Chinese Vegetarian Dish
If you haven’t heard or tried the Chinese tofu rolls yet, you are definitely missing out! Tofu rolls are a traditional vegetarian dish in Chinese cuisine. It’s not difficult to see it on the menu of most Chinese restaurants as a vegetarian option. I have always wanted to share this recipe with you all as it was so good! 🤩
For more tofu recipes, try my Easy Sweet & Sour Tofu, Fool-proof Teriyaki Tofu and Tofu Scramble. 🥗
What is Tofu Skin?
One thing that deters me from sharing it is that the difficulty of finding Tofu skin in non-Asian countries. However, don’t leave yet. If you really couldn’t find any from where you live. Feel free to replace it with rice paper wraps. And you can even skip the step of steaming the rolls in the end.
Or you can even make tofu skins by yourself, it’s in fact not that difficult. Have you ever tried boiling some soy milk and realize a layer of “skin” formed on the surface if you didn’t stir it frequently? So if you find it hard to buy tofu skin and really want to use it in this recipe, you can make it by yourself.
Versatile Recipe
This Chinese tofu roll recipe is so versatile that you can steam it, pan-fry it or even deep-fry it. You can also replace the filling ingredients with any vegetables you like! I have tried different combinations and the ones in the recipe are my favorite ones. But I would suggest use a combination of soft and crunchy vegetables to enhance the texture. Here I used carrots and black fungus for crunchiness, cabbage and mushrooms for softness, marinated dried tofu for chewiness!
Naturally Gluten-free
Tofu skins, also called Yuba sheets or bean curd sheets, are made entirely from soy beans and water. Hence, it’s naturally gluten-free and high in protein. It is no wonder that it’s a staple for vegetarians in the Chinese community.
Serving Suggestions
You can enjoy these tofu rolls alone as dim sum, serve with noodles or rice. The dipping sauce is optional as the fillings is already very flavorful. But I would highly recommend you to make it as well as it gave the rolls a next-level yumminess. 😋
Chinese Tofu Rolls (Vegan, Gluten-free)
Course: MainCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: High4
servings30
minutes40
minutesIngredients
10 tofu skins (around 8″ x 10″ each)
- Fillings
1/2 cup carrot (cut into strips)
2 dried black fungus (big)
1/4 cabbage (cut into strips)
3-4 dried shitake mushrooms (cut into strips)
100g five spice marinated tofu* (cut into strips)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp vegan oyster sauce
- Dipping Sauce
3 thinly sliced ginger (cut into strips)
1/2 cup green onion (cut into strips)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup liquid amino
1 tsp sugar
3 drops of sesame oil
Pinch of white pepper
Directions
- Making The Rolls
- Soak black fungus and shitake mushrooms in room temperature water for at least 3 hours or hot water for 30 mins. Slice them into strips. Reserve the soaking water for later use.
- In a medium bowl, mix all the filling ingredients. Set aside for later use.
- Place the tofu skin on a cutting board. Cover the others with a damp towel while not in use.
- Long side facing you, place all the filings onto the tofu skin into a 1-inch log, ½-inch away from the long side.
- Roll the tofu skin tightly from the long end facing you until forms a log. Similar to rolling up a burrito. Place them onto a large plate.
- Meanwhile, boil some water in a large pot, large enough to accommodate the plate. Place a rack at the bottom of the pot.
- When the water is boiled, place the plate of tofu rolls on the rack. Cover and steam for 5-7 minutes.
- Dipping Sauce
- In a small bow, mix together the liquid amino, sugar, white pepper and sesame oil.
- Heat a pan on medium heat with 1 Tbsp oil.
- Add the sliced ginger to the pan and sautéed until fragrant (around 1 minute). Add 1/2 of the green onion to the pan and sautéed for another 1 minute.
- Now, pour the liquid amino mixture and bring it to a boil.
- Turn the heat off and leave it in the pan while waiting for the tofu rolls to steam.
- When the tofu rolls are done, serve them with dipping sauce. Enjoy! 😋
Notes
- * You can also use any kind of super firm baked tofu such as Trader Joe’s Organic Baked Teriyaki Tofu.
