History

Lor bak is Penang Hokkien festival food gone daily: marinated pork rolled in tofu skin, once made for celebrations, now fried at kopitiam stalls as a shared starter plate. The name pairs lor, the thick five-spice gravy, with bak, meat, and a proper stall serves the rolls with that gravy, a chilli dip, and a supporting cast of prawn fritters, century egg and fried tofu. Kheng Pin Cafe's morning stall on Jalan Penang is the version locals measure everything else against.

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Common allergens: Soy, Gluten, Egg, Shellfish in mixed plates

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4 as a starterHands-on 45 minTotal 2 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 400g pork shoulder, cut into thin strips
  • 1 tablespoon five-spice powder
  • 1 tablespoon light soy, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 egg and 1 tablespoon cornflour
  • 4 large sheets dried beancurd skin, wiped soft with a damp cloth
  • Oil for deep-frying
  • For the lor sauce: 300ml chicken stock, 1 tablespoon dark soy, 1 teaspoon five-spice, 2 teaspoons cornflour slurry, 1 beaten egg
  • Cucumber slices and chilli sauce to serve

Method

  1. Marinate the pork with five-spice, soy, sugar, pepper, egg and cornflour for at least 1 hour.
  2. Lay out beancurd skin, spoon pork along one edge, and roll into tight 3cm-thick logs, sealing the seam with cornflour paste.
  3. Steam the rolls 10 minutes to set, then deep-fry at 180C until deep golden and blistered, about 4 minutes.
  4. For the sauce, simmer stock with dark soy and five-spice, thicken with slurry, then stream in the beaten egg off the heat.
  5. Slice the rolls on the bias and serve with the lor sauce, chilli dip and cucumber.

Tip from the editors. Steam before frying; skipping it means raw centres or burnt skin, and the double cook is what every good stall quietly does.

Where to eat lor bak

Lor bak in Penang

Kheng Pin Cafe ★ 4.2

$ MalaysianGeorge Town

Kheng Pin Cafe is the morning kopitiam on Jalan Penang whose loh bak stall, five-spice pork rolls fried in beancurd skin, draws half of George Town.

SignatureLoh bak, Wanton mee

TipClaim a table with drinks first, then order loh bak from one stall and wanton mee from another; come in the morning, it winds down by 13:30.

Directions

Joo Hooi Cafe ★ 4.2

$ Street foodGeorge Town

Joo Hooi Cafe packs char koay teow, assam laksa, lor bak and duck bee hoon into one corner kopitiam on Penang Road, a full hawker crawl per table.

TryChar koay teow, laksa and lor bak under one roof

TipSeats are scarce at lunch; claim a marble table with a drink order first, then collect dishes stall by stall.

Directions

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More places near Kheng Pin Cafe and Joo Hooi Cafe

Not on this list, but close by, nearest first. Every one is in our guide with its address, hours and what to order.

More cities are in research. Want lor bak covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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