The Mighty Spring Roll , everyone’s favourite item at Yum Cha! How often have you had ones that are soggy, flat in flavour or have that exposed refrigerated taste, a definite frozen product. Or, the super dark crunchy exterior thought by some to be nice and crispy is only dark because of the dirty oil they are fried in.
A good spring roll has a super tasty filling and actually tastes fresh despite being deep fried. Here’s the thing, if you’re going to deep fry it anyway, make it the best deep fried morsel you’ve ever made! Use clean oil peeps. It will make a world of difference in the finished product instead of leaving you heavy and greased up.
Now for the filling, it can consist of a variety of vegetables and an excellent way to use up excess veggies you have in your fridge. The main thing is to ensure the vegetables are cut in the same way, all shredded so that it wraps nicely. It really should be something delicious you would eat straight up. I would be very happy to have this with a bowl of rice or tossed through noodles. So on this very day, here’s what I added to mine but use this as a guide and don’t be too hung up about specific quantities. Cabbage and carrots will always be the tasty filler that adds a tonne of natural sweetness, crunch and bulk. Add French beans, sliced thinly on the diagonal, 5-spice tofu, sliced thinly lengthways, jicama (or bangkuang), swede, kale and so on. Use fresh mushrooms appropriately. They contain a tonne of water so you’ll either need to cook out the liquid or use smaller quantities of them. The main thing to end up with for spring rolls is a moist but dry-ish result, not a super sloppy wet finish. The ingredients below are listed in the order it goes into the pan.
~ Filling Ingredients ~
oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups shredded white cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
handful rehydrated dried woodear fungus, finely sliced
1-2 sticks rehydrated dried bean curd (dao ki), finely sliced
handful fresh shiitake mushroom, finely sliced
handful enoki mushroom, soiled root end discarded
1/2 cup Chinese chives, chopped to 5cm lengths
small packet (40g) bean thread noodles (tang hoon), rehydrated in water
1.5 tbsp shaoxing wine
1.5 tbsp oyster sauce
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
1 .5 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp white pepper
1-2 stalks spring onions, sliced
1 tsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp water to form a slurry
~ Method ~
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large pan over medium heat, add garlic and cook for 2 mins or until fragrant.
Add the cabbage and carrots, stir-fry for until slightly wilted. Add the woodear fungus and bean curd, stir-fry for 2 mins. Deglaze with Shaoxing wine. Add the fresh mushrooms and chives, toss briefly followed by the tang hoon. Mix well. I find it easiest to use two spatulas to stir large quantities. Season with oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, mix to combine. Add the spring onions, then pour in the cornflour slurry and stir well until well distributed and combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If the mixture is exceptionally dry, add water a tablespoon at a time. Allow to cool before folding into spring rolls.
~ Wrapping ~
Spring Roll Wrappers x 12 (215mm x 215mm)
Iceberg lettuce (optional)
Oil for frying (rice bran or neutral flavoured)
~ Sauce ~
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp kecap manis
2 tsp Lea & Perrin (or Worcestershire sauce)
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp sriracha
~ Method ~
Gently peel apart layers of wrappers. Cover those not in use with a mildly damp cloth.
Place 2 tbsps of filling onto the bottom quarter of the wrapper with a pointy edge facing you. Roll it up reasonably firmly to halfway, fold in the sides, dab the top pointy edge with water then continue to roll to close up the spring roll. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers.
Preheat your oil on medium high heat and deep fry each until crispy and golden turning them over halfway. Drain on paper towels and eat with dipping sauce and lettuce.
NB: See instagram for the full video of the recipe.