Ingredients
FOR THE PORK AND MARINADE:
8 ounces of finely shredded pork loin for the pork and marinade (225g)
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 milliliter of Shaoxing wine
14 teaspoon white pepper 12 teaspoon cornstarch
TO PUT THE FILLING TOGETHER:
2 tablespoons oil
1 piece of garlic (minced)
10 dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked until softened and thinly sliced)
2 medium carrots (julienned, about 1 cup)
Bamboo shoots, 1 cup (julienned; fresh is preferred, but canned is fine too)
1 small napa cabbage (julienned, about 6 cups)
1 spoonful of Shaoxing wine
2 spoonfuls of light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
pepper white (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 spoonfuls of cornstarch (dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water)
1 package of spring roll wrappers (TO WRAP) (8″ squares; this recipe makes about 20 spring rolls)
1 teaspoon of cornstarch (dissolved in 1 tablespoon of 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 milliliter of Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Instructions
Mix the pork with the ingredients for the marinade, and let it sit for 30 minutes. While you wait, get the rest of the ingredients ready. Cut each vegetable so that it is about the same size. You want everything to be the same size so that everything will mix well.
In 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat, brown the pork, then add the garlic, mushrooms, and carrots. After 30 seconds, add the bamboo shoots, napa cabbage, and Shaoxing wine to the pan and stir-fry again. Stir-fry for one more minute. Change the heat so that the mixture simmers, since the napa cabbage will give off a lot of water.
Mix in the sugar, salt, sesame oil, and white pepper. At this point, you can add 1/4 cup of the water that was used to rinse the dried mushrooms. It makes the mushroom flavor stronger, so this is totally up to you and what you like. You may also need to cook the filling for a longer time to get rid of the extra liquid.
Keep simmering the filling for another 3 minutes, until the napa cabbage is completely soft, and stir in the corn starch slurry to make it thicker. How much slurry you add depends on how wet the filling is (this changes if your cabbage had more moisture or if you added the optional mushroom water), but there shouldn’t be any standing liquid.
Put the filling in a large, shallow bowl and set it aside to cool. Place in the fridge for at least an hour to cool down even more. Start with a cold filling so that it is easier to wrap. To wrap spring rolls well, you need to make sure they are tight but not too full. If you can, use fresh spring roll wrappers. Freezing the wrappers can make the skin of the spring roll a little too wet.
Put the wrapper on a flat surface so that one of the corners faces you. Use about two spoonfuls of the mixture per spring roll. Spoon it about 2 inches from the corner that is closest to you. Roll it over once, then fold both sides over like you’re making a burrito. Keep rolling it into the shape of a cigar. Put a little bit of the cornstarch water on the corner of the wrapper that is farthest from you with your fingers to seal it.
If you’re wondering, we did try to seal the spring roll with egg wash instead of the cornstarch mixture, but the egg wash “stain[ed]” the spring roll, so it’s best to use the cornstarch mixture.
Each roll should be put on a tray. About 18 to 20 spring rolls can be made with this recipe. You can also freeze these spring rolls on the tray overnight and put them in a zip-lock bag when they are completely frozen to use later. We usually fry some fresh and freeze the rest, unless we’re having a party, in which case these go like hotcakes.
Fill a small pot (which needs less oil) with oil until it’s 2 to 3 inches deep. This will be used to fry the spring rolls. Slowly heat the oil until it reaches 325 degrees Fahrenheit over medium heat. Add the spring rolls one at a time and fry them gently. Roll them carefully in the oil until they are golden brown and then put them on a paper towel-lined plate.
Put all of the ingredients for the dipping sauce into a small sauce pan. Mix, heat just until it starts to bubble, and pour into a small bowl. Hot spring rolls should be served with the dipping sauce.
Notes
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
When baked or air-fried, Chinese spring rolls can be a healthy choice for an appetizer. Most of the time, they are low in calories and have a lot of fiber and nutrients from vegetables. But keep in mind that versions that are deep-fried will have more fat and calories.
Serving Suggestions
Chinese spring rolls are a great way to start a meal or snack at a party or get-together. You can also serve them as a side dish with your favorite main dishes that are Asian-inspired. Try serving them with a light, crisp salad or a warm bowl of fried rice for a complete and satisfying meal.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Watch out for these common mistakes to make sure your spring rolls are perfect:
- Overfilling the wrappers, which can cause them to tear or burst while cooking
- Not properly sealing the edges, which causes the filling to leak.
- If you overcook the spring rolls, they will be soggy or burned.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: appetizers and snacks
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Vegetarian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 155kcal
- Calories: 155kcal
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 425mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 10mg
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