Recipe: Prawn Spring Rolls with Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce (Thai, fried)

PRAWN SPRING ROLLS WITH
SWEET AND SOUR DIPPING SAUCE

"My friend Vanipha taught me now to make spring rolls and many other Thai and Laotian dishes. Besides running her own restaurant, she also supplied spring rolls to other restaurants and caterers. Some days, she would have orders for 1,000 spring rolls. (They have to be rolled by hand - so let this be an inspiration to you.) Spring rolls are a labor of love, but just think of how impressed everyone will be. If you prefer, you can make them without the prawns."

4 cloud ear mushrooms, soaked in hot water
until soft (optional)
3/4 cup coarsely chopped bamboo
shoots
1/2 cup coarsely chopped water chestnuts
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
3 cups green cabbage, thinly sliced
and chopped into fine pieces
1 cup grated carrot
4 thinly sliced green onions
3 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 packages (2 oz. each) cellophane noodles, soaked in hot water until softened, then drained
36 (8 by 8-inch) frozen spring roll wrappers
4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. water
16 large prawns or shrimp, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
Vegetable oil for frying the spring rolls
1 recipe Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)

Remove and discard the woody stems from the cloud ear mushrooms and coarsely chop the mushrooms. In the work bowl of a food processor pulse the mushrooms, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts until everything is finely chopped. (Or finely chop by hand.) Squeeze the mixture with your hands to remove as much water as possible.

In a wok or large frying pan, heat the vegetable oil over high heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry until it turns golden. Add the cabbage and carrot. Stir-fry until the cabbage is tender-crisp. Add the green onions, oyster sauce and black pepper and stir-fry for another minute. Remove from the heat and spread out on a pan to cool.

Chop the cellophane noodles into 1-inch pieces and add to the cooled vegetable mixture. Refrigerate until cold.

Gently peel the spring roll wrappers apart and cover with a damp cloth. Stir the flour and water together to form a smooth paste. You are now ready to roll the spring rolls.

PREPARING SPRING ROLLS:
Although the instructions for rolling may seem complicated at first, you will understand them completely after rolling the first spring roll. It is important that the spring rolls be tightly but gently rolled. If not, oil will seep in during the frying and make them greasy.

The filling must be moist but not wet. If there is water collecting around the filling, place it in a sieve and gently squeeze out the water. Leave the filling in the sieve while you arc rolling the spring rolls. This is important because if the wrappers get wet, the spring rolls will burst during frying. Fry the spring rolls within half an hour after making them.

Place a wrapper on a flat surface with one of the points facing towards you. Place about 2 Tbsp. of the filling slightly above the middle of the wrapper. Make a neat cylinder about 4-inches long out of the filling. Fold the point closest to you over the filling to slightly below the point that is farthest away from you. Fold both right and left points firmly over the filling and roll once away from you. Tuck a prawn half into the right- hand side of the fold (if you are right-handed). Dab some of the flour and water paste on the top point and continue rolling up, gently but firmly, until you reach the top. Continue rolling spring rolls with the remaining filling.

In a large heavy skillet, heat 3-inches of vegetable oil to 325 degrees F. Fry the spring rolls without overcrowding the pan until golden brown on all sides. Remove from the oil and drain on absorbent paper. Keep warm in a low oven while frying the remaining spring rolls.

SWEET AND SOUR DIPPING SAUCE
Makes 3 cups

FOR THE SUGAR SYRUP:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water
FOR THE SAUCE:
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, green stem only removed
3 Tbsp. fish sauce
5 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. hot chili paste or to taste

Place the sugar and 2 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, remove from the heat and cool.

Place 1/2 cup of the cooled sugar syrup and the remaining ingredients in the work bowl of a food processor or blender and blend until the pepper and garlic are pureed. The seeds will remain whole. Add the remaining sugar syrup and pulse briefly to combine. This sauce keeps almost forever, covered and refrigerated.

Makes 32 spring rolls
Adapted from source: The Passionate Cook by Karen Barnaby