Five-spice pork rolls wrapped in beancurd skin and deep-fried, sliced and served with a starchy braising sauce and chilli dip alongside prawn fritters and tofu.

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.

Where to eat Lor bak in Penang

2 editor picks for Lor bak in Penang, ranked by editorial score. All Penang signature dishes · Lor bak across every city.

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Make it at home

Serves Serves 4 as a starter2 hrIntermediate

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.

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

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