Shrimp Wrapped in Tofu Skin

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Shrimp Wrapped in Tofu Skin - A popular and delicious dim sum appetizer made with shrimp and bean curd skin. Get the recipe and make it yourself at home.

Easy homemade Hong Kong crispy shrimp rolls dim sum.
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Dim Sum Shrimp Wrapped In Tofu Skin

This shrimp wrapped in tofu skin (鮮蝦腐皮券) recipe was supposed to be in my cookbook “Easy Chinese Recipes,” but it was cut out as my publisher thought tofu skin might be hard to get for most Americans, which is true.

As the title suggests, these delicious fried shrimp rolls are wrapped with tofu skin, or bean curd sheet (in Asia), or yuba (in Japanese).


What Is Tofu Skin

Crispy, delicious Chinese deep fried shrimp rolls wrapped with tofu skin.

Tofu skin is basically the layer of “skin” formed on top of fresh soy milk.

As you all know, the Chinese invented soy milk, tofu, and other tofu-related products, so tofu skin is basically one of the many food products from the magical soy beans.

As I made the tofu skin from scratch this past weekend, it dawns to me just how amazing soy milk is, because of the endless culinary possibilities it brings.

Please check out this post how to make tofu skin, if you wish to attempt it at home.

This crunchy, mouthwatering, and dainty Cantonese appetizer is a must-have for me whenever we go out for dim sum or yumcha

At the dim sum restaurants here in the United States and Hong Kong, they are usually presented in a bigger rectangle-shaped package, however, I prefer smaller rolls, as pictured here, which is typically found in Malaysia.


How To Prepare Shrimp Wrapped In Tofu Skin

Easy and quick Hong Kong crispy shrimp rolls appetizer with a pair of chopsticks.

The key to really good Cantonese dim sum is the texture of the filling, in this case, the shrimp.

The best Cantonese chefs treat their shrimp with cold running water for hours that ultimately delivers the bouncy (弹牙) and supple texture in the shrimp.

In my cookbook and on this post “How to Make Shrimp Crunchy,” I share a home remedy that you can apply to make the shrimp bouncy, but it takes some time.

However, there are many chefs who cheat by treating their shrimp with lye water or even borax, because it delivers very fast and amazing results.

I am strongly against these chemicals because if you read the label of lye water, it’s clearly stated as a chemical and some even label it as poison, so I would stay away.


Cooking Tips

Crispy Shrimp Rolls - best dim sum ever!! Crispy, delicious shrimp rolls that you can make at home, so easy!! | rasamalaysia.com

(You can read the fact sheet of lye water here.) Traditionally, you can treat these shrimp using the shangjiang (上浆) method, which is coating the shrimp with a mixture of egg white and potato starch.

I prefer my method of double treating the shrimp: first with baking soda, and then with egg white and potato starch.

It works!

Now the secret seasoning to dim sum that tastes like they are straight from restaurants is chicken bouillon powder.

You can get the non-MSG version in the market and use it in this recipe.

This shrimp wrapped with tofu skin is commonly served with a Worcestershire sauce, but you can also use mayonnaise, which is more common in Malaysia.

Either way, these fried shrimp rolls taste so good.

Enjoy!


Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories per serving?

This recipe is only 104 calories per serving.

Crispy Shrimp Rolls - best dim sum ever!! Crispy, delicious shrimp rolls that you can make at home, so easy!! | rasamalaysia.com

What To Serve With This Recipe

For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on FacebookPinterest, and Instagram for new updates.


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4.43 from 7 votes

Shrimp Wrapped in Tofu Skin

Crispy Shrimp Rolls – best dim sum ever!! Crispy, delicious shrimp rolls that you can make at home, so easy!!
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 3 people
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Ingredients  

  • 8 oz (230g) shelled and deveined shrimp
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped yellow chives
  • 7-8 pieces tofu skin, cut into 6×6-inch (15cm x 15cm) pieces
  • Oil for deep-frying
  • Worcestershire sauce or mayonnaise

Seasonings:

Instructions 

  • If you wish to make your shrimp bouncy, you can treat the shrimp according to the steps in this post: How to make shrimp crunchy. Adjust the ingredients accordingly.
  • Cut the 2/3 of the shrimp into small pieces and mince 1/3 of the shrimp. Mix the shrimp with all the ingredients in the Seasonings.
  • If you treat the shrimp using the method above, you can skip the last two ingredients (marked *) in the Seasonings, which are cornstarch and egg white. If the filling is loose and not sticky, add more starch to bind it.
  • To roll the shrimp, place a piece of the tofu skin on a flat surface. Sprinkle a little bit of water to make it softer, or wet your hand with water and rub on the tofu skin surface, so it becomes pliable.
  • Scoop about 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling onto the tofu skin. Use a little bit of water and dab it around the edges to ensure sealing.
  • Roll up the bottom part of the skin, tuck the shrimp tightly. Roll until the end of the tofu skin.
  • Twist both ends of the opening and make sure they are closed, so when deep-frying, the oil won't seep in. Wet your hand with water to help with sealing.
  • The shrimp wrapped in tofu skin are now ready for deep-frying.
  • Heat up a wok with enough cooking oil for frying. When the oil is fully heated, turn the heat to medium and gently drop the shrimp rolls into the oil. Keep turning around and deep fry until they turn golden brown.
  • Dish out on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Cut them up in halves, and serve immediately with Worcestershire sauce or mayonnaise, or both.

Notes

You can get tofu skin in the frozen section of Asian food stores. If you can’t find it, you can make tofu skin from scratch, using only soy beans and water.

Nutrition

Serving: 3people, Calories: 104kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 191mg, Sodium: 865mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Bee Yinn Low

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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Recipe Rating





17 Comments

  1. Sherry Lee says:

    Do I need to do anything different if I am using dried tofu and not frozen?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Dried tofu skin? You need to soften it.

  2. Em says:

    Can I air fry these instead?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Should be OK.

  3. Tanya says:

    This looks awesome!! Thank you for sharing this. Is it better to make this from fresh bean curd skin or dried?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Dried.

  4. Yeh Ximin says:

    5 stars

  5. Nicole Vatanavimlakul says:

    Hello Rasa Malaysia/Bee! Thank you for sharing the yumcious recipes! Me lau nuah. Btw, my granny’s method is to season/marinade the prawns with sugar and salt to achieve the bouncy texture; this was for sambal udang, uncertain if it’ll work in deep frying but worth experimenting.
    I find egg coating is a bit too heavy for my taste bud. Prefer tempura the oooo la la kind, light and crispy! ?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Sugar and salt don’t work that well to be honest.

  6. Russell Parry says:

    Thanks for the recipes and particularly the tip for crisping prawns. I agree with you about avoiding ‘quick fixes’ that do nothing for flavour and can often be achieved some other way, or using a regular food ingredient. However, distrusting lye water because it is a ‘chemical’ is completely illogical and unhelpful. Baking soda is a chemical, and everything else we cook and eat is a mixture (more or less complex) of chemicals. For myself I am guided by how well established an ingredient/food is, and if any problems (other than specific allergies) have been reliably reported. Lye water has been in common use in many cultures for centuries. It is traditionally made from wood ash. The wide use of baking soda dates from the 19th century, and it is made by processing a quarried mineral. I am not aware of any reported ill effects from it though.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Thanks for your information Russell.

  7. Mahy Elamin says:

    5 stars
    Oh yum! My whole family would go crazy for these! Now, this recipe will be one of my favorites.

  8. Gab says:

    Is it possible to make these ahead & freeze them? Would you cook straight from frozen?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      No, you can’t really freeze this. Make fresh.

  9. SaucySpatula says:

    nom nom nom nom nom… SO GOOD!

  10. Maggie says:

    Can we just use the won ton wrapper if we cannot find the tofu wrapper?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes you can but not as good.