Auntie Kat’s Hokkien Ngoh Hiang
Written by: Kampung Eats
goh Hiang, in Singapore, is also known as ‘Loh Bak’ or ‘五香’ (translated into ‘Five Spice pork rolls). Auntie Kat taught us her Hokkien version of making Ngoh Hiang, and its versatility; the traditional bean curd skins could be swapped out for wonton skins instead.
“There’s no easy way when it comes to cooking traditional food.”
The key difference between a Teochew Ngoh Hiang and a Hokkien Ngoh Hiang is that Teochew tradition incorporates water chestnut or yam into the dish, giving it a fragrance and more mushy texture; but the Hokkien version uses more shrimps and pork, making it crunchier and meatier.
Auntie Kat’s mother would teach her to do household chores and cook a variety of dishes- where Ngoh Hiang was one of her favourites. During which, she would often get ‘Ham Tam’ (scolded) by her mother.
Quoting that “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, Auntie Kat reminds us that there’s no easy way when it comes to cooking traditional food. In the past, people would often source for and grow their own ingredients for their dishes.
Similar to traditional Hokkien Ngoh Hiang, mincing the meat from scratch retains the flavour and meat essence as compared to those pre-minced meat bought from stores. Also, Auntie Kat emphasises that the meat is best bought from the wet market as it is more fresh as compared to store-bought meat from NTUC or Sheng Shiong. Definitely this dish if you’re looking for a traditional and versatile Ngoh Hiang recipe!
Auntie Kat's Ngoh Hiang
Course: Main, Side dishCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Medium5
servings30
minutes10
minutesConversing with Auntie Kat over Zoom about her recipe made it challenging to receive exact measurements of the ingredients she would use. Because of this, the base of the recipe is adapted from Rasa Malaysia's Ngoh Hiang recipe but includes Auntie Kat's unique variation.
Ingredients
400 grams minced pork
200 grams shrimps, clean and minced
½ yellow onion, minced
10 water chestnuts, washed peeled and minced
1 maggi chicken cube, crushed
3 spring onions, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp five-spice powder
1 tsp white pepper
220 grams beancurd skin (bought from yong tau foo store)
1 packet wonton skin (optional, can be found at NTUC)
kecap manis or chili for dipping (optional)
Directions
- Mix the minced pork, shrimp and egg.
- In another bowl, mix the white pepper, 5-spice powder, maggi chicken cube, and light soy sauce. Then combine with meat mixture.
- Add water chestnut, yellow onions, and spring onions.
- Using your preferred skin (bean curd or wonton), take about a tablespoon of the pork mixture and mould the meat into a sausage-like shape.
- Generously spread it across the longer edge of the wrap (leave a gap towards the end to seal). Roll the skin and tuck the sides in when it reaches the halfway mark. Ensure that there is as little space as possible between the meat and the skin.
- [Repeat steps until the meat/skin runs out]
- Steam the rolled Ngoh Hiang for 8-10mins or until the skin becomes translucent.
- Serve with the sauce of your choice.
Notes
- Don't mince the pork, shrimps, onion and water chestnuts too finely as it'll affect the ngoh hiang texture.
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