Spring Rolls

Spring rolls are a type of filled, rolled appetizer or dim sum popular in East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisines. Depending on the culture of the region, the type of wrapper, fillings, and cooking technique employed, as well as the name, vary significantly across this broad area.

Ingredients

• TO ASSEMBLE THE FILLING:
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 10 dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked until softened and thinly sliced)
• 2 medium carrots (julienned, about 1 cup)
• 1 cup bamboo shoots (julienned; fresh is preferred, but canned is fine too)
• 1 small napa cabbage (julienned, about 6 cups)
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• white pepper (to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water)
• FOR WRAPPING:
• 1 package spring roll wrappers (8" squares; this recipe makes about 20 spring rolls)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water for sealing the spring rolls)
• Canola oil (or peanut or vegetable oil, for frying)
• FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE:
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons hot water
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Instructions

• Set aside for 30 minutes after mixing the pork with the marinade ingredients. Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients. All of the vegetables should be roughly the same size. You want everything to be the same size so that everything blends together.
• Brown the pork in 2 tablespoons oil over high heat, then add the garlic, mushrooms, and carrots. After 30 seconds, add the bamboo shoots, napa cabbage, and Shaoxing wine and stir fry for another 30 seconds. Stir-fry for another minute. As the napa cabbage releases a lot of moisture, reduce the heat to simmer the mixture.
• Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and sugar in a mixing bowl. At this point, you can add 1/4 cup of the decanted water from soaking the dried mushrooms. It enhances the mushroom flavor, so this is entirely up to personal preference. You may also need to simmer the filling for a longer period of time to reduce the extra liquid.
• Continue to simmer the filling for 3 minutes, or until the napa cabbage is completely wilted, and then stir in the corn starch slurry to thicken. The amount of slurry you add depends on the wetness of the filling (this varies depending on whether your cabbage was moist or if you added the optional mushroom water), but there should be no standing liquid at all.
• Allow the filling to cool in a large shallow bowl. Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour to cool. To make wrapping easier, start with a cold filling. The key to wrapping spring rolls is to keep them tight but not overstuffed. If possible, use fresh spring roll wrappers, as freezing the wrappers can cause the spring roll skin to become too moist.
• Place the wrapper on a flat surface with a corner facing you. Use about two spoonfuls of the mixture per spring roll, about 2 inches from the corner closest to you. Roll it once and fold over both sides like you're making a burrito. Roll it into a cigar shape as you go. Brush a bit of the cornstarch water onto the corner of the wrapper that is farthest away from you with your fingers to seal it.
• In case you're wondering, we tried egg wash instead of the cornstarch mixture to seal the spring roll, but the egg wash "stains" the spring roll, so the cornstarch mixture is preferable.
• Place one roll on each tray. This recipe yields approximately 18-20 spring rolls. You can also freeze these spring rolls on the tray overnight and then transfer them to a zip-lock bag when completely frozen for later use. We usually fry some fresh and freeze the rest, unless we're throwing a party, in which case these disappear like hotcakes!
• Fill a small pot (which requires less oil) with oil until it's 2 to 3 inches deep to fry the spring rolls. Slowly heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 325 degrees. Add the spring rolls one at a time, gently frying in small batches. Roll them carefully in the oil to ensure even cooking until golden brown, then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
• To make the dipping sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a small sauce pan. Heat until just simmering, then pour into a small bowl. Serve the spring rolls hot, accompanied by the dipping sauce!