Chef Fu Pei-Mei certainly figured something out in this yummy, crunchy and slightly chewy tofu dish that she named “ma la dou yu.”

It’s served with a sesame-chili-green onion sauce.

Instead of the bean curd remaining soft, it becomes crispy. And instead of other ingredients, such as peanuts (see tofu salad below) or broccoli remaining crunchy (to balance the soft soybean cake), the bean sprouts keep their chewy texture.

Alone, the sprouts and fried tofu skin wouldn’t be completely satisfying – possibly a bit dry and you might sense the lingering oil used for frying.

So, I’m glad she concocted a sauce of sesame paste, chili oil and green onions.

In the end, this rolled sprout dish lets you work with tofu skin – which you might have eaten at dim sum restaurants.

The sauce complements the fried tofu and soft sprouts.

Also, you can serve something that would make for a memorable meal or appetizer for relatives, friends and special guests.

My sense is that it would prompt questions of genuine intrigue, similar to what my wife and I have fielded with her cold, dry tofu salad. 

There is a downside if you follow Fu’s exact recipe: It calls for deep frying in oil.

Granted, that makes for a delicious, crispy exterior. But it adds to the fat content.

So you can truthfully tell others: “It’s a vegetarian dish!” But you might not want to dine on this every day.

An alternative is to use less oil and pan fry. Steaming the tofu-sprout roll is possible. But you’d have softness both inside and outside the roll.

So, give it a shot. I like it because it’s different from the tofu dishes that you often see at Chinese restaurants in the United States.

The sprout rolling is similar to how people make the Chinese spring roll (“chun juanr” in Mandarin), which is popular in the Shanghai area. But spring rolls use dough skin. 

If you have the condiments already, the tofu skin dish should cost about around $3 to $4. That also depends on how many rolls you make.

It took us about 30 minutes to make this dish. I’m sure the more you make it, the faster you’ll get.

I also tried to figure out why Fu used “yu” – the Chinese character for fish – in the dish’s name. My wife suspects the rolls might remind people of fish.

One lesson that I learned with using tofu skin, which comes in 2-foot by 2-foot sheets: Try to buy them frozen so it’s easier to make the rolls.

After they thaw, you can cut them. If they seem dry before you start rolling, the water from the sprouts will make them moist.

Bean curd skin can typically be found in the dry tofu area at Asian markets.

The recipe we used is from Pei Mei’s Chinese Cook Book Volume II, copyright Chiu-Yu Printing Co. Ltd.

Her Volume I and Volume III cook books can be purchased online. I certainly appreciate the fact that she shared her cooking knowledge with others.

Step-by-step photos, ingredients and printed instructions are below.

Ingredients:

• Bean sprouts (about 10 ounces)
• Bean curd sheets
• AFC fresh bean curd sheets (8 ounces) are one brand
• Sesame paste (1 tablespoon)
• Soy sauce (2 tablespoons)
• Sugar (1/2 tablespoon)
• Sesame oil (1/2 tablespoon)
• Vinegar (1 teaspoon)
• Chopped green onions (1/2 tablespoon)
• Fried sesame seeds (2 teaspoons)
• Brown peppercorn powder (1/2 teaspoon)
• Red hot pepper oil (1/2 tablespoon)
• Vegetable oil (1 1/2 cup)

Steps:

• Prepare the sprouts.
• Put them in boiling water for 10 seconds.
• Add salt (1 teaspoon if you want).
• Remove and place in cold water.
• Remove. Squeeze dry.
• Cut bean curd skin into 5-inch by 8-inch strips.
• Place sprouts on skin (closest to you).
• Roll as many as you’d like.
• Heat the oil in a pan.
• Place rolls in and fry.
• They will turn golden brown.
• Turn them over.
• After they are golden brown, remove.
• Place on paper towels or napkins to remove oil.
• Let them cool for a few minutes.
• Cut in half or thirds.
• Prepare the sesame paste sauce.
• Place the sauce on the cut rolls.
• Top with cilantro, if you’d like.

We didn’t have any sesame seeds or peppercorn powder. Still, we were happy with the dish.

As I’ve noted before, Andrea Nguyen of Asian Dumpling Tips has posted great information on the skin - called “fu pi” and a similar dish that uses shrimp.

Since I last posted information about Fu Pei-Mei, I’ve realized there are people in the world who enjoy her cooking.

If you’re one of those people, you might like the blog, Pei Mei A Day.

UPDATE: On Sept. 7, the company that makes these frozen bean curd skins issued a recall for at least one specific batch.

It’s best to call the company for updates about using them.