Fancy finding
dry yanpi skin made of pork and flour in the suburbs in Australia. It is akin to searching for an oasis in the desert. Count myself lucky to bump into an groceries importer and supplier.
Only in China and some Southeast Asian countries would you have an opportunity to try this home cooked dish, and only if you have good friends who are willing to make the speciality and even share the recipe with you.
Though it was a long time ago but the flavours still linger in your memories, gladly to be revived. A nostalgic trip down memory lane.
This shop named "Tong Li" in Fuzhou city sells traditional "rouyan" (meat swallow)
Here's how we make it at home?
INGREDIENTS
Yanpi : swallow skin made from ground lean pork, potato and flour, rolled into flat sheets and dried in the sun.
Filling : Fish paste, Prawn (peeled), Minced pork,
Water Chestnut
Seasoning : soy sauce, grated ginger, pepper.
Soup : chicken stock, seaweed, fuzhou fish balls stuffed with minced pork.
STEPS
1. Prepare filling using fish fillet, marbled loin pork (wuhua rou), dried shrimp and Chinese celery.
2. Mince the ingredients. You could either pound with a mortar and pestle, chop using a cleaver or simply blend everything in a food processor.
3. Season with soy sauce, pepper, ginger juice and sugar.
4. Cut yanpi sheets into 2 inch square. (Nowadays, some manufacturers make ready cut yanpi in wanton skin sizes)
5. Place a small amount of filling at the centre of a yanpi square. Hold in one palm and fold inwards to create the shape of a flower or pouch, commonly called "little everlasting spring".
6. Put into boiling water and maintain at medium heat.
7. Boil chicken stock and cook seaweed, coriander, seasame oil, beaten chicken or duck egg.
8. Add cooked yanpi wanton. Heat up briefly and turn off the heat. Ready to be served.
You may be interested in checking out other types of wanton too :
http://homecooksecrets.blogspot.com/2010/07/different-types-of-wanton-dumplings.html
