Recipe: Spring Rolls (2)

Spring Rolls
alt.food.asian/ahem! (cutiepie)

The Spring Roll has a long history of over a thousand years. It was called Spring Cakes in the Sung Dynasty. Paper thin pastry wrapped round shredded ingredients. Spring Rolls are especially popular during the Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival. The filling can be meat or vegetarian, economical or rich. Fujianese Spring Rolls have very thin pastry and exortic filling. They are the best of Spring Rolls. Shanghaiese Spring Rolls have a diversity of fillings. One typical ingredient is bamboo shoot. The Cantonese Spring Roll has travelled Overseas and is known in the West as Egg Rolls

Ingredients
12 sheets Spring Roll wrappers (They may be round or square in shape)
1 egg, beaten
6 cups oil for frying
115 g chicken breast meat
115 g pork
140 g cooked and shelled shrimps
60 g chinese roast pork
6 chinese dried mushroom, soaked
1 cup shredded bamboo shoot
170 g chives

Seasoning for chicken
2 tsp egg white
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each rice wine and cornstarch
sesame oil, pepper and sugar

Seasoning for pork
2 tsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp each of rice wine and cornstarch
seasme oil, pepper and sugar

Glaze
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 heap tsp of cornstarch

Preparation
Cut pork and chicken into strips. Mix with the seasoning
Cut Chinese roast pork and mushroom into strips
Cut bamboo shoots into slices and blanch in boiling water
Cut into strips
Cut chives into 5 cm lengths

Filling
Prefry seasoned chicken and port in oil
Put wok over high flame and add 1 tbsp oil
Add chinves and stir fry for a few seconds add salt to taste, remove and set aside
Add 1 tbsp oil and stir fry the mushroom, bambook shoot, and shredded meat.
Add Chinese roast pork strips and stir fry for a few seconds over high heat
Add the glaze and stir well
Remove and leave to cool
Mix together all the filling ingredients adding the cooked shrimp and chives

Wrapping
Place a piece of the Spring Roll pastry on the table one corner facing you
Put 2 tbsp of the filling in the center of the pastry
Fold the nearest corner of the wrapper up covering the filling
Fold the two sides
Finish by rolling away from you
Glue the last corner with the beaten egg
Repeat for all the 12 Spring Rolls

Deep Frying
Put wok over high flame
Add oil for frying
When oil is heated to approx. 180 degrees C. With pair of long wooden chopsticks hold one piece of the Spring Rolls at a time in the oil for a few seconds, pinching the fold to prevent from opening, before letting go.
Fry each piece until golden brown.
Drain off excess oil in a colander.

Spring Rolls
Makes 20 Small Rolls

Ingredients:
1 mild Green Chili (or hot if you prefer)
3 oz. Chicken Breast, cooked
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil (divided)
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 clove Garlic, crushed
1 Carrot, julienne
1 Scallion or Green Onion, finely sliced
1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and julienne
1 oz. Bean Sprouts
1 tsp. Sesame Oil
4 sheets Filo Pastry
1 Egg White, lightly beaten
Soy Sauce, to serve

Slice the green chili in half and remove the seeds. (If you elected to prepare your spring rolls with a hot chili, be sure to wear a plastic glove.)

Using a sharp knife, slice the cooked chicken breast into thin strips. Heat a wok or heavy skillet with two tablespoons of the vegetable oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic, and then the chicken strips, and stir-fry for about a minute. (When the oil sizzles and browns a cube of fresh bread, then the oil is hot and you're ready to stir-fry.)

Add the julienne carrots, scallion slices, and red bell pepper to the wok or heavy skillet and stir-fry for about two minutes. Add the bean sprouts, stir in the teaspoon of sesame oil, and remove the cooking container from the heat to let the mixture cool.

Meanwhile, cut each sheet of filo pastry into five short strips. When the filling is cool enough for you to easily handle it, place a small amount of the filling at one end of each strip. Fold in the long sides of the pastry and then roll the filling to the end of the pastry. Seal and glaze each spring roll with the egg white. Repeat the process until you have used all the filling and filo dough.

Refrigerate the spring rolls for at least 15 minutes prior to frying. Wipe the wok or skillet clean and add the remaining vegetable oil to the pan. When the oil is hot, add the spring rolls and fry them in small batches until they are crisp and brown. Drain the fried spring rolls on paper towels and serve warm with soy sauce for dipping.Kitchen Staff Tip: Double the batch and freeze several servings of spring rolls for easy use with your Chinese cookery throughout the month. Simply prepare the recipe as directed and store several portions in airtight bags to freeze. You don't even have to let them thaw completely before frying, serving, and enjoying them.