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
I had these today in a small restaurant in Philadelphia and they were delicious. The owner was explaining how the skins are made with meat, which had me curious, so I started googling and found your recipe. Question: what kind of fish would you recommend?
ReplyDeleteCheck out Amazon Prime Video: Taste of China Season 1, Ep 2: Cooking from the Heart. They show how it’s made. It’s fascinating.
DeleteAny firm fish will do, e.g., perch, coral trout, snapper fillet are good as they can withstand a fair amount of stirring and mixing. Coincidentally, I visited Fuzhou recently and ready made rouyan and fishballs could be bought easily in the markets and shops. In the old days, I was told that home cooks who make this dumpling from scratch would use a large wooden bat to flatten the dough of flour and lean meat.
ReplyDeleteWhere have you found yan pi in Australia? Love eating it, but every Asian grocery I go to doesn't sell it
ReplyDelete