Description
Named 'Chicken' but contains no chicken! A traditional Taiwanese Xiaochi where pork, onions, and water chestnuts seasoned with five-spice are rolled in ultra-thin tofu skin (Doufu Pi) and deep-fried.
Restaurants serving Taiwanese Meat Roll (Ji Juan)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Pork
- Ultra-thin tofu skin(Doufu Pi)
- Onion
- Water chestnut
- Fish paste
- Five-spice powder
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- [Name Secret] In Taiwanese, 'Extra/Leftover (Ke)' and 'Chicken (Ke)' sound identical, so a dish 'rolling (Juan) leftover ingredients (Ke)' became 'Ji Juan'.
- [Filling] Prepare shredded lean pork and minced pork fat. Put minced onions, crispy 'water chestnuts (Mati)', and bamboo shoots in a bowl.
- Knead firmly with soy sauce, sugar, five-spice, white pepper, and binders like 'sweet potato flour' and 'fish paste (or egg white)' until sticky.
- Spread Taiwan's unique ultra-thin dried tofu skin 'Doufu Pi (Qianzhang)', roll the filling into a long sausage-like stick.
- Fry slowly at low 160°C to cook through, then raise temp to make the tofu skin surface extremely crispy and golden.
- Slice diagonally, garnish with sweet vinegared cucumbers, and serve with sweet chili sauce (Tianla Jiang).
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Five-spice and Onion sweetness
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Raw Yuba (caution: Japanese is thick), Lotus root (sub for water chestnut)
Pairing
As a side for fried rice noodles or Lu Rou Fan
Trivia
[For Everyone] The absolute regular at stall/market fried food corners. Deceived by the name thinking it's 'chicken', you're happily betrayed when intense pork and onion sweetness jumps out.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Enjoy the 'crisp!' sound of the ultra-thin tofu skin and the 'crunch' of the water chestnuts inside—two different textures—while dipping in sweet sauce!
Allergen
Soy, Pork, Wheat, Seafood (binder)