Cha lua chay goi la chuoi gives you a firm roll that smells of banana leaf and pepper. The difficulty is that tofu skin holds a great deal of water, and if it is not wrung out properly the roll turns crumbly and falls into pieces under the knife.
The tofu skin is wrung in a cloth bag until really dry, seasoned, then wrapped tightly the way banh tet is wrapped and steamed for three hours or more.
This batch weighs about 2.1kg, at roughly 217 calories per 100g.
Method
Rinse 1kg tofu skin to clean off any dust and soak it for more than 1 hour until soft. Lift it into a colander and separate the firm edges from the soft sheets.
Bring a pot of water to the boil, cook the firm edges first for about 10 minutes, then add the soft sheets. When it returns to the boil, drain everything and rinse it under cold water.
Put it all in a colander, sprinkle over a little of the 14g salt, mix, then transfer it to a cloth bag and wring it until it is really dry.
Season with the rest of the salt, 18g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 7g MSG, 12g vegetarian mushroom seasoning powder, 40g oil infused with fried leek, 3g ground pepper and 5g cracked pepper, and mix well. Wash the banana leaves, scald them in boiling water and wipe them dry for wrapping.
Lay out the banana leaves and wrap the mixture tightly, the way banh tet is wrapped.
Steam for 3 hours or more, or boil for about 2 hours.
Tips
Wring the tofu skin really dry in a cloth bag, that is what makes the roll firm rather than crumbly.
Wrap it tightly like banh tet so the roll is dense and holds together when sliced.
Stir the leek infused oil through the mixture, since that is what gives the roll its sheen and its onion aroma.
Scald the banana leaves in boiling water to soften them so they do not split during wrapping.
Let the roll cool completely before slicing, since cutting it hot tears the surface.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.