Perhaps your new favorite bean dish:
The five-spice powder not only gives the dish its name, but just as much its typical aroma. The golden brown powder is a mixture of five or six spices. The four basic spices are cassia bark, star anise, cloves and fennel. Ginger or szechu pepper and cardamom are added. The liquorice-scented five-spice powder is used very sparingly, mainly in marinades for meat, poultry and fish. Like all spices, it must be kept well sealed. In Fukien, where the dish originated, duck eggs are used for their strong flavor.
Soak the bean curd slices in cold water for about 4 minutes until they are soft and pliable. Carefully take the slices apart, dry them with kitchen paper, pile them on a kitchen towel and cover them to keep them wet. This can be done 2-3 hours in advance.
Chop the water chestnuts medium fine.
Also chop the pork medium fine and place in a large bowl.
Marinate: Mix sugar, salt, soy sauce, rice wine, oil, five-spice powder and egg white thoroughly with the meat and stand for 5 minutes. Then add the spring onions and water chestnuts and finally sprinkle the potato flour and stir in one direction.
Divide the meat mixture into 16 portions.
Place the bean curd sheets diagonally on a kitchen board and cut in half.
One unit of the meat filling at a time in give a