Lobak is a deep fried five-spice pork roll wrapped in beancurd sheet. It has a crunchy exterior with a soft and chewy filling. On the island of Penang, lobak is often made at home by the Straits Chinese as one of the main dishes during festivals and celebrations. At the food courts, it is eaten as a shared or side dish served with deep fried tofu, slices of cucumber, and sweet hoisin and chili sauce. In Kuala Lumpur (as far …

...See more

Lobak is a deep fried five-spice pork roll wrapped in beancurd sheet. It has a crunchy exterior with a soft and chewy filling. On the island of Penang, lobak is often made at home by the Straits Chinese as one of the main dishes during festivals and celebrations. At the food courts, it is eaten as a shared or side dish served with deep fried tofu, slices of cucumber, and sweet hoisin and chili sauce. In Kuala Lumpur (as far as I can remember) these meat rolls are also known as lobak but going south towards Malacca and Singapore, they are popularly called ngoh hiang.

There are many variations to this dish. Some like the filling to be “meaty” while others prefer it mixed with crunchy vegetables like carrots, water chestnuts, or jicama. Sometimes even shrimps are added to the filling. They are all tasty but I usually make mine with just coarsely minced pork, green onions, and carrots or water chestnuts depending on what I have on hand. The pork can be either coarsely minced or cut into strips.

...See less