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Wondering how to use tofu skins? Here‘s a super easy recipe using tofu skin as a wrapper to blanket a juicy filling. The filling is so versatile, you can make it meaty or all-veggie, depending on your dietary preference.
Tofu Skin Rolls With Filling
When I first encountered Tofu Skin Rolls on the dim sum menu at a restaurant, I was amazed. Not every dish makes it onto the dim sum menu, so I was curious about what made these rolls stand out.
Enjoying Tofu Skin Rolls at a restaurant is always a treat.
After trying them, I realized they were worthy additions to the dim sum menu. The combination of flavorful fillings encased in delicate tofu skin, steamed to perfection, created a dish that was both delicious and satisfying. Tofu Skin Rolls have since become one of my favorite items to enjoy during dim sum outings.
As you may have already seen in my roll recipes like rice noodle rolls, cabbage rolls, and laksa spring rolls, tofu skin rolls are just the same. In this recipe, the wrapper used is tofu skin or tofu sheets. Like any recipe with a filling, the filling is super flexible since you can change the ingredients just the way you like it.
For my version, I made the filling with lotus root, minced meat, green onions, and cornstarch. Then, I seasoned it with salt, bouillon powder, white pepper, light soy sauce, and oyster sauce. But hey, who am I to tell you how to make your filling? You can switch the filling to chicken or seafood, make it vegan or vegetarian, or adjust the taste to spicy or savory.
When you are happy with the filling, wrap it in tofu skin and steam until cooked. Steaming the rolls makes it soft and juicy! But if you want to make it crispy on the outside, you can air-fry or pan-fry it in oil until golden brown.
If you want to explore recipes with a filling, here are my suggestions:
- Rice Paper Dumplings (Gluten-Free)
- Jian Bing (Chinese Breakfast Crepe)
- Chinese Stuffed Mushrooms (Pan-Fried & Steamed)
- Chinese Chive Pockets (Large Chinese Chive Dumplings)
- Szechuan Dumplings (Zhong Dumplings)
- Gluten-Free Dumplings (Taro Dumpling Skin)
- Steamed Shrimp Wontons
- Crispy Air Fryer Wontons
What Is Tofu Skin?
Tofu skin is also known as yuba sheets and bean curd sheets. It is made by boiling soybeans with water, which then produces a thin film. This thin film is dried out to make tofu sheets.
Since tofu skin is made from soybeans, it is naturally gluten-free and is actually a good source of protein. In fact, for every 100g of tofu skin, you get 50g of protein. Moreover, it is high in vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins B, B6, and K, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron, to name a few.
This is available in local Asian grocery stores or on online stores like Amazon. You may find different types of tofu skin, such as frozen and dried. Some tofu skins are used as is, rehydrated, or simply softened before use.
How To Make The Filling
- Lotus root: If you don’t know yet, lotus root is the edible rhizome or horizontal underground stem of a lotus flower. It is cylindrical and elongated. When the stem is sliced into rounds, it has holes in the flesh that make it look like wheels. I love lotus roots for their mild sweet taste and crisp texture. It is similar to a water chestnut or cooked potatoes. To prepare the lotus root for the filling, simply break it down into smaller pieces using the back of the knife.
- Minced pork: Ground pork is a more convenient option. However, you can use pork cuts and grind them using a blender or food processor. Alternatively, you can use other minced meat, such as beef, chicken, or shrimp. For a meatless filling, I recommend crumbled firm tofu, minced soy meat, or finely chopped shiitake mushrooms. You can season this according to your liking to make it more flavorful.
- Green onions: The filling is enhanced with the mild sweetness and oniony taste of chopped green onions. You can substitute green onions with other types of onions, such as chives, shallots, white onions, yellow onions, or red onions.
- Salt: Bring out the flavors of each ingredient with a bit of salt. Use any type of salt, such as sea salt, pink salt, and kosher salt, and adjust to taste.
- Bouillon powder: Bouillon powder only serves as a flavor enhancer, so it is an optional ingredient. I used chicken bouillon powder, but you can use other powdered seasonings like vegetable powder, chicken-flavored powder, mushroom seasoning, or Italian seasoning mix.
- White pepper powder: White pepper is great for its bright, earthy, and musty taste. It lends a more subtle heat and not spicy heat like black pepper powder. You can swap white pepper with black pepper, but the taste will be more woody and piney.
- Cornstarch: The filling becomes thicker and firmer with cornstarch. This is essential especially if the filling is too wet and can’t hold its shape. Moreover, it is a helpful ingredient in adding a thin coating to the filling, which protects it from overcooking and hardening when steamed or fried. Aside from cornstarch, you can use the following alternatives using a 1:1 ratio.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Arrowroot Powder
- Tapioca Starch/Flour
- Potato Starch
- Rice Flour
- Light soy sauce: For extra saltiness and umaminess, add a splash of light soy sauce. You can also use tamari, liquid aminos, coconut aminos, or gluten-free soy sauce. For a slightly sweet taste and a deep brown color, you can include a bit of dark soy sauce.
- Oyster sauce: Oyster sauce also adds extra umaminess. It lends a salty and briny taste. You can swap this with hoisin sauce, teriyaki sauce, kecap manis, Worcestershire sauce with soy sauce and sugar, oyster-flavored sauce, or fish sauce.
- Optional ingredients: Here are some excellent ingredients to consider for a wider variety of flavors and textures.
- Dried shiitake mushrooms: Aside from fresh mushrooms, I suggest incorporating dried shiitake mushrooms. The difference between dried and fresh is that dried shiitake typically has a deeper flavor profile. It is more umami and smoky. To use dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrate them first with hot water for 20 minutes or until fully soft for chopping. Alternatively, dried wood ear mushrooms are also excellent for the filling.
- Vegetables: For more fiber and nutrients, I suggest adding shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, or bamboo shoots. Adding more vegetables helps balance out the savoriness of meat.
- Sugar: If you need to lessen the salty taste, you can adjust it with a bit of sugar. You can use any type of sweetener, including white sugar, cane sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, or coconut sugar.
- Sesame oil: If you want to add oil, I recommend toasted sesame oil for its distinct earthy and nutty taste. It is amazing how much difference a tablespoon of sesame oil can make in the overall flavor.
- Ginger: Just a tablespoon of minced ginger adds a warm, peppery kick. You can also use ginger powder and use 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground ginger for every 1 tbsp of fresh ginger.
- Water chestnuts: Add a sweet, nutty taste and a crisp, starchy texture with water chestnuts. You can use fresh or canned pre-peeled water chestnuts.
Ingredients And Kitchenware To Prepare
It is best to use a meat cleaver to slice the lotus root using its back. Then, use a large mixing bowl to mix the filling and a steamer lined with parchment paper to steam the rolls. If you don’t have a steamer, you can make a DIY steamer using several tools, such as a pan with a steamer rack, rice cooker, or instant pot, to name a few.
If you want to have crispy tofu skin rolls, prepare a non-stick pan for frying. Here are the ingredients to prepare and adjust to taste.
- 1 lotus root, chopped into small pieces (about 250g)
- 500g of minced meat
- 1 cup of chopped green onions
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1/2 tsp of bouillon powder
- 1 tsp of white pepper
- 1 tsp of cornstarch
- 2 tbsp of light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp of oyster sauce
- 1 pack of tofu skin (beancurd sheet)
- 2 tbsp oil (optional for pan-frying step)
5 Easy Steps To Make Tofu Skin Rolls
Active preparation time takes about 10 minutes while steaming is only 15 minutes. You only need to make the filling, wrap it with tofu skin, steam, and fry (optional for crispiness). Learn how to make the recipe with my quick tutorial video on Instagram or TikTok.
Did you like this tofu skin roll recipe? Share your thoughts and ideas by leaving a comment in the comments section. Don’t forget to snap a photo and share it with me with the tag @kitchenmisadventures.
- Prepare your filling ingredients. Slice the lotus root into bits by pounding it with the back of a knife. Prepare the minced meat and chop the green onions.
- Mix the minced meat, lotus root, and chopped green onions in a bowl. Season with salt, bouillon powder, white pepper, and cornstarch.
- Add a splash of light soy sauce and oyster sauce for extra umaminess. Adjust to taste. Mix well and set aside.
- Take a sheet of tofu skin, place the filling on one end like a long sausage, and roll the tofu skin to wrap the filling. Instead of a circular cylinder shape, I shaped the roll into an elliptic cylinder (oval-shaped). This is a better shape to prevent the rolls from turning and to make sure the end of the sheet is at the bottom for proper sealing. Otherwise, the tofu skin might open. If you can‘t seem to seal the edge of the tofu skin, brush the edges with beaten eggs or cornstarch slurry.
- Prepare a steamer with a steamer basket lined with parchment paper. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once the water reaches a rolling boil, carefully place the rolls into the steamer basket. Steam the rolls for 15 minutes, ensuring they are cooked through. Once done, remove the rolls from the steamer and allow them to cool slightly before slicing them into 2-inch pieces.
- Optional step: To make the steamed tofu skin rolls crispy, pan-fry it in oil until golden brown and crispy.
Serving suggestions: Enjoy these juicy tofu skin rolls on their own. Alternatively, you can also serve these with a dipping sauce such as my Soy Sauce Vinegar Sauce or Four Dumpling Sauce Recipes.
Tofu Skin Rolls With A Versatile Filling (Meaty Or All-Veggie)
Ingredients
- 1 lotus root chopped into small pieces (about 250g)
- 500 g minced meat
- 1 cup chopped green onions
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp bouillon powder
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 pack of tofu skin beancurd sheet
- 2 tbsp oil optional for pan-frying step
Instructions
- Prepare your filling ingredients. Slice the lotus root into bits by pounding it with the back of a knife. Prepare the minced meat and chop the green onions.
- Mix the minced meat, lotus root, and chopped green onions in a bowl. Season with salt, bouillon powder, white pepper, and cornstarch.
- Add a splash of light soy sauce and oyster sauce for extra umaminess. Adjust to taste. Mix well and set aside.
- Take a sheet of tofu skin, place the filling on one end like a long sausage, and roll the tofu skin to wrap the filling. Instead of a circular cylinder shape, I shaped the roll into an elliptic cylinder (oval-shaped). This is a better shape to prevent the rolls from turning and to make sure the end of the sheet is at the bottom for proper sealing. Otherwise, the tofu skin might open. If you can't seem to seal the edge of the tofu skin, brush the edges with beaten eggs or cornstarch slurry.
- Prepare a steamer with a steamer basket lined with parchment paper. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once the water reaches a rolling boil, carefully place the rolls into the steamer basket. Steam the rolls for 15 minutes, ensuring they are cooked through. Once done, remove the rolls from the steamer and allow them to cool slightly before slicing them into 2-inch pieces.
- Optional step: To make the steamed tofu skin rolls crispy, pan-fry it in oil until golden brown and crispy.
