Tofu Eggroll Recipe

I finally made my own soy milk. I had a lot of fun squeezing the boiled, blended soy beans and collecting the liquid. I got the girls to help me out. We used the solid remnants, called okara or soy bean paste, to fill eggrolls. I’m telling you, nothing goes to waste in our home! If you don’t have time to make okara (because it’s quite time-consuming), you can buy it ready made in Korean markets.

To make the eggrolls, I blended the soy bean paste mixture with matchstick-cut fried potatoes, wood ear mushrooms, bean thread noodles and fried tofu. It’s packed with protein and makes a great substitute for meat. I served the eggrolls with the usual accompaniments: vermicelli rice noodles, Vietnamese herbs and shredded cucumber. You’ll love it!

1. Info for Tofu Eggroll Recipe

• Cook Time: unavailable
• Total Time: unavailable
• Servings: 8
• Calories: unavailable

2. Ingredients for Tofu Eggroll Recipe

• ½ cup soy bean paste, freshly made
• ½ cup canola oil (or any neutral oil), as needed
• 6 ounces firm tofu
• 3 Yukon Gold potatoes
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 6 fresh wood ear mushrooms , sliced
• ½ jicama (see tips)
• juice of a lemon
• ¼ cup leeks (green part only)
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 (2-ounce) package dried bean thread noodles
• 4 tablespoons fried yellow onions (see tips)
• 1 teaspoon mushroom seasoning salt (or regular salt)
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 teaspoon dried crispy fried garlic, store-bought
• 2 packages frozen eggroll wrappers

3. Directions:

1. For the tofu: Drain any liquid from the tofu. Pat dry with a paper towel. Slice the tofu into ½-inch thick pieces. In a large pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of oil; fry the tofu slices and transfer to a plate. Once the tofu is cool enough to handle, cut the pieces into very thin strips. Set aside.
2. For the dried bean thread noodles: Place the whole package of dried bean thread noodles in a bowl. Don’t forget to cut the little threads  and discard them! Soak the noodles in cold water for 30-40 minutes (up to 1 hour, depending on the brand), then drain. Chop into 1 inch threads. Set aside.
3. For the jicama: Peel and slice horizontally into ½-inch thick pieces. In a large pan, heat the oil and fry the jicama slices until golden brown. Once they are cool enough to handle, cut the pieces into very thin strips, then finely chop them. Set aside.
4. Frying the potatoes: Peel and slice horizontally into ½-inch thick pieces, then cut into matchsticks. Place in a bowl. Add the lemon juice and a little water. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes. Drain the potatoes using a fine mesh colander. Discard the liquid. Place the shredded potatoes in a cheese-cloth and remove as much excess water as possible. Pat dry with paper towels. In the same large pan, add about 1 more tablespoon of oil and fry the potatoes until golden brown (I made several batches for maximum crispiness). Flip the fried potatoes. Cook until golden for about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the golden potatoes onto a large platter lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt.
5. Making eggroll filling: In a pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the leeks; cook until fragrant and golden. Add the soy bean paste. Separate into small lumps using a spatula, then add the sliced mushrooms. Cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes. Make sure the temperature is high so the filling doesn’t become watery. Turn off the heat. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the carrots, potatoes, jicama, tofu and bean thread noodles. Season with fried garlic, fried yellow onions, mushroom seasoning salt and pepper. Allow to cool a little.  Add the cilantro. Mix well. Check the seasoning (see tips). Add more mushroom seasoning if necessary.
6. Cut the eggroll wrappers into 2 triangles and separate them. They’re sold in packages of 30 squares that are stuck together.
7. Place about 2-3 teaspoons of the eggroll mixture at the base of the triangle. Fold one of the corners along the base towards the other corner along the base so that it just covers the filling. Then roll the wrapper once towards the top corner. Repeat with the other corner that is along the base. Moisten the exposed top corner with water using your finger, then finish rolling. 
8. Once a plate is full of uncooked eggrolls, you can either cover with plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator overnight or in the freezer for up to a month. Once you’re ready to cook them, fill a large frying pan with any neutral oil about 2 inches high. Make sure your pan is tall enough so that there is enough room to add the eggrolls without the oil overflowing. Place the eggrolls in the hot oil one at a time, seam side down. You will see bubbles. As soon as each eggroll turns slightly golden, rotate it. When the eggrolls are even and golden all the way around, remove from the pan and place on a paper towel to drain the oil. They should be golden, crispy and delicious.
9. Place on a serving platter. On one plate, place cooked thin rice vermicelli noodles (called bún). On another plate, add fresh vegetables like lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts, Thai basil and Vietnamese mint, and pickled vegetables like pickled baby shallots and pickled carrots and daikon. Fill a bowl with nước tương (vegetarian dipping sauce, see tips). It’s family style – everyone helps themselves to their own bowl, starting with the veggies, the rice noodles, and then finally the eggrolls. Pour on the nước tương sauce, add the Vietnamese herbs to garnish. Lastly add sliced red bird chile if you like it spicy. To be eaten with chopsticks of course!
10. Bon app&ea