Martha Liaos Spring Rolls Recipes

FRESH SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Add vermicelli to boiling water and cook just until soft. Immediately transfer vermicelli to ice-water bath to cool. Drain and cover with a damp towel until ready to use.
• Fill a clean spray bottle with water and mist the surface of the rice papers to moisten. Cover with a damp towel and set aside.
• Place another damp towel on work surface. Lay one rice paper on top of towel. Place a lettuce leaf on the bottom third of the rice paper and top with 1/8 of the vermicelli, cilantro, and mint leaves. Roll rice paper away from you, about halfway, pressing down to form a tight cylinder. Fold about 1 1/2 inches from each side over the filling.
• Place 2 shrimp halves, cut sides down, over the crease. Top with 3 chives so that about 4 inches of the chives stick out at one end. Continue rolling rice paper away from you to form a cylinder. Seal edges with a little water. Repeat entire process with remaining rice papers and filling.
• Cut rolls in half and serve with fish sauce dip.

SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Soak the vermicelli 30 minutes in warm water; drain.
• In a large bowl, mix the vermicelli, eggs, onion, mushrooms, shrimp, pork, vegetable oil, carrot, crabmeat, bean sprouts, pepper, soy sauce, fish sauce and garlic.
• One by one, moisten the rice wrappers with a damp tea towel and fill with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the vermicelli mixture. Roll the wrappers, and allow them to set for 30 minutes.
• In a large saucepan, heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Fry the spring rolls one or two at a time until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

MARTHA LIAO'S SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Place cellophane noodles in enough hot water to cover; let stand until softened, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Add cabbage and cook, stirring, until coated with oil. Season with salt and cover; cook until cabbage is soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer cabbage to a large bowl; set aside.
• Add enough oil to lightly coat bottom of skillet. Add pork, garlic, and ginger; stir to combine. Add soy sauce, wine, and sugar. Whisk cornstarch together with 1/4 cup water until well combined. Add to skillet and cook, stirring, until mixture is thickened and pork is cooked through.
• Drain cellophane noodles, cut into 2-inch pieces and add to skillet; stir in scallions and sesame oil. Transfer pork mixture to bowl with cabbage; toss to combine. Let filling stand until cool, about 4 hours.
• Place 1 wrapper on a work surface, with 1 corner facing you. (Keep remaining wrappers covered with a damp kitchen towel.) Arrange 2 tablespoons filling in a mound in center of wrapper. Fold bottom corner over filling, then fold in sides halfway. Roll wrapper to form a tight cylinder, leaving top corner exposed. Brush top corner with a little of the beaten egg, and press to seal. Cover with a damp kitchen towel. Repeat process with remaining wrappers and filling.
• Fill a large heavy-bottomed saucepan halfway with canola oil. Heat over medium-high heat until temperature reaches 365 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches, cook spring rolls, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat process with remaining spring rolls; serve hot.

SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Prepare the filling. In a wok, stir-fry each vegetable separately in peanut oil. Season with salt and pepper. Drain and transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in noodles, mushroom soy sauce, chili paste, sesame oil, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool completely. When cool, blend the filling mixture with the aromatic mixture. When ready to form the spring rolls, squeeze out all the excess liquid.
• Make the spring rolls. Place about 1/2 cup of prepared filling per spring roll wrapper. Roll and seal edges with the egg wash. Repeat the process until all filling is used.
• In a deep pot, with about 4 cups peanut oil heated to 350 degrees F., deep-fry in batches of 4 until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Trim off the ends and slice diagonally. Drizzle top with Hot Chinese Mustard Sauce. Serve immediately.
• Prepare the aromatic mixture. In a food processor, combine the ginger, garlic, green onions and red pepper flakes. Turn on machine, slowly add oil and process mixture to a puree. Saute mixture for 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and sugar. Set aside.
• Prepare the Hot Chinese Mustard Sauce. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except the oil. Stir until well blended. Slowly whisk in the peanut oil until emulsified. Refrigerate, covered until needed.