Spring Rolls

Who doesn’t love spring rolls?  I mean, what’s not to love?  And don’t get all healthy on me and go on and on about them being fried…isn’t there a nice tofu blog you could be reading?  They are so versatile, you can use shrimp, pork ,chicken or only vegetables, something for everyone to like.  And did I mention how easy they are to make?  Well they are.

For the Recipe:
1 1/2 tbsp. canola oil
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. black pepper
4 tsp. soy sauce (divided, 2 tsp. for the pork and 2 tsp. for when you fry the vegetables)
1 tsp. salt (divided, 1/2 tsp. for the pork and 1 tsp. for when you fry the vegetables)
1 tsp. grated ginger

2 c. cabbage, sliced thin
1 1/2 c. shredded carrots (I used my julienne peeler for this)
8 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes then chopped into small pieces
80 g. bean thread noodles, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes then cut into 2″ pieces
2-3 tbsp. water, if needed when frying vegetables
18 8″ spring roll wrappers
1 egg, whisk well in a bowl
Put the canola oil (or whatever oil you choose to use) into a wok.  Put the pork, both peppers, soy sauce, salt and ginger in a bowl and mix well.  Heat the oil in the wok (or whatever pan you have), add in the pork and cook until almost done, breaking up the pork into small pieces as it cooks.  Add in the cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, bean thread noodles, reserved soy sauce and reserved salt.  If your noodles stick to the bottom of the pan too much add a little water to loosen them.  Cook until the vegetable are just cooked.  Taste for seasoning.  Add more salt, pepper to suit your taste.

Remove from heat and let the mixture cool.
Once the mixture has cooled you can roll the spring rolls.  The spring rolls can be a tad pesky to unpeel, take your time and don’t pull too hard or you will rip them.  Once you get one off place it so it so a pointed side is facing you.

Place 1/4 c. of the filling on the sheet, spread in a line so it’s not just one clump of filling.  Roll the spring roll, tightly.  Once you get about 3/4 of the way to the end fold in the sides, put some of the egg on the side opposite of you to keep the spring roll closed, and continue to roll until the end.  Repeat until all the filling is used.  From here you can either fry them, freeze them, or refrigerate them (no more than a few hours otherwise freeze) until you are ready to use.  If you refrigerate be sure to cover with a very lightly damp towel to keep them from drying out.

To fry, heat your oil to 350 degrees in a heavy bottom pot.  Do not overcrowd the pot or the temperature will reduce too much leaving you with greasy spring rolls.  With the correct temperature they should be nice and brown within 3-4 minutes.  Place on either some paper towels or a rack to let the oil drain.  Serve with a sweet chili sauce.
This will normally yield 18 spring rolls.