History

Loba takes its name from the Hokkien lor bak, and in Phuket it became a market snack that shows the Hokkien influence on the island's food. The spread centres on pork and offal seasoned with five-spice, with tofu, boiled egg and minced pork wrapped in bean-curd skin and fried until crackling. Everything is sliced to order and served with a thick dipping sauce that is sweet, sour and spicy at once, and the Michelin Guide lists a Phuket Town loba shop alongside bean sprout pancakes, fried spring rolls and herbal pork rib soup as Hokkien-style Phuket cooking.

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Common allergens: Soy, Gluten

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 40 minTotal 1 hr 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 300g minced pork
  • 1 tsp five-spice powder
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 large sheets dried bean-curd skin
  • 200g pork belly
  • 1 block firm tofu, cut into slabs
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs
  • Oil for deep-frying
  • For the dip: 4 tbsp tamarind water, 3 tbsp palm sugar, 1 tbsp chilli sauce, 2 tbsp crushed roasted peanuts, 1 clove garlic, minced

Method

  1. Mix the minced pork with half the five-spice, the soy sauce and sugar.
  2. Wipe the bean-curd skin with a damp cloth to soften, spread the pork along one edge and roll into tight logs.
  3. Rub the pork belly with the remaining five-spice and simmer in salted water for 30 minutes, then drain and dry.
  4. Simmer the dip ingredients except the peanuts for 5 minutes until syrupy, then stir in the peanuts.
  5. Heat the oil to 170C and deep-fry the rolls for 6 minutes, then the pork belly and tofu until golden.
  6. Slice everything into bite-size pieces with the halved eggs and serve with the dip.

Tip from the editors. Fry the bean-curd rolls last and slice them just before serving so the skin stays crackling.

Where to eat loba

Loba in Phuket

Loba Bang Niao ★ 3.9

฿ Street foodPhuket Town

Loba Bang Niao fries Hokkien-style pork offal fritters on Mae Luan Road in Phuket, a Michelin Selected stall that also serves herbal pork rib soup.

TryLoba (Hokkien-style pork offal fritters)

TipPair the loba with the herbal pork rib soup; the stall closes at 17:00.

Directions

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