Shanghai Spring Rolls 上海春卷 Shanghai Chun Juan Recipes

CHINESE SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Mix the pork with the marinade ingredients and set aside for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Cut all of the vegetables to approximately the same size. You want everything the same size so each ingredient blends together.
• Brown the pork over high heat in 2 tablespoons of oil, and add the garlic, mushrooms and carrots. Stir fry for 30 seconds, and add the bamboo shoots, napa cabbage, and Shaoxing wine. Continue stir-frying for a minute. Adjust the heat to simmer the mixture, as the napa cabbage will release a lot of moisture.
• Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and sugar. At this time, you have the option of adding 1/4 cup of the decanted water from soaking the dried mushrooms. It strengthens the mushroom flavor, so this is purely according to your personal preference. You may also have to simmer the filling longer to reduce the additional liquid.
• Continue simmering the filling for another 3 minutes--until the napa cabbage is completely wilted--and stir in the corn starch slurry to thicken. How much slurry you add depends upon the wetness of the filling (this varies if your cabbage had more moisture or if you did add the optional mushroom water), but there should be no standing liquid at all.
• Transfer the filling to a large shallow bowl, and let cool. Place into the refrigerator to cool further-at least one hour. It's best to start with a cold filling for easier wrapping. The key to wrapping spring rolls is making sure that they're tight, yet not overstuffed. It's best to use fresh spring roll wrappers if you can, as freezing the wrappers can result in the spring roll skin being a bit too damp.
• Place the wrapper on a flat surface so that a corner is facing toward you. Use about two spoonfuls of the mixture per spring roll, and spoon it about 2 inches from the corner that is closest to you. Roll it over once, and, like you're making a burrito, fold over both sides. Continue rolling it into a cigar shape. With your fingers, brush a bit of the cornstarch water onto the corner of the wrapper that is farthest from you to seal it.
• In case you're wondering, we did try egg wash instead of the cornstarch mixture to seal the spring roll but the egg wash "stains" the spring roll, so it's best to use the cornstarch mixture.
• Place each roll on a tray. This recipe makes about 18-20 spring rolls. You can also freeze these spring rolls on the tray overnight, and transfer them to a zip-lock bag when they are completely frozen for future use. We usually fry some fresh and freeze the rest, unless we are hosting a party, in which case, these go like hot cakes!
• To fry the spring rolls, fill a small pot (which requires less oil) with oil until it's 2 to 3 inches deep. Heat the oil slowly over medium heat until it reaches 325 degrees. Gently add the spring rolls one at a time, frying in small batches. Carefully roll them in the oil so they cook evenly until golden brown and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels.
• Prepare the dipping sauce by adding all ingredients to a small sauce pan. Mix and heat until just simmering and pour into a small bowl. Serve the spring rolls hot with the dipping sauce!

SHANGHAI SPRING ROLLS (上海春卷 SHANGHAI CHUN JUAN)

Steps:

• Slice the lean pork meat into thin shredded pork and place in a bowl. Add the 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and corn starch, mixing well. Let it marinate on the counter while preparing the other ingredients.
• Chop the napa cabbage leaves into thin long strips by cutting them along the same direction as their veins. Set aside.
• In a large bowl or basin, add the vermicelli and pour enough hot water to fully submerge. Depending on the type of vermicelli (see notes 3), submerge for anywhere between 5-15 minutes until the vermicelli becomes much softer but still firm. Drain the vermicelli from the hot water and use kitchen scissors to cut them into short portions. Set aside.
• (Optional) If using fresh shiitake mushroom, discard the stems and chop the mushroom caps into small pieces. If using dried shiitake mushrooms, immerse the dried mushrooms in hot water. Cover and leave submerged for at least 30 minutes to an hour. Once rehydrated, the caps will become tender again. Squeeze out the water and discard the stems. Chop the caps into small pieces. Set aside.
• Heat a large skillet under medium-high heat. When the skillet is getting warm, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Then add the shredded pork, tossing and turning to separate the pork. When the shredded pork is half cooked, add the chopped napa cabbage and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, tossing and mixing well.
• When the napa cabbage starts releasing water, transfer everything to a large bowl, immediately adding the shortened vermicelli. Thoroughly mix everything. Let the vermicelli soak up the water from napa cabbage. Leave the filling on the counter to cool completely before wrapping the spring rolls.
• Take out one spring roll wrapper and lay it on a dry surface oriented as a diamond shape. Use a pair of chopsticks to grab about 2 tablespoons of filling, and put the filling towards the bottom of the wrapper, leaving 1 inch (~2.5cm) on the end. Fold the filling twice from the bottom up then fold the two sides in. Finally roll the spring roll all the way up. See pictures. Lay each finished spring roll on a dry surface with some space in between. Repeat the same procedure to fold/roll the rest of the spring rolls.
• In a stainless steel skillet, heat about 1 cup of vegetable oil under medium-high heat. When the temperature reaches 160°F (~320°C), add the spring rolls, which should be half-way submerged in oil. Leave some space in between each spring roll and do not overlap them. When the spring rolls becomes golden brown (about 2-3 minutes), remove them from the oil. It might take multiple batches to fry all the spring rolls.
• Cool the spring rolls briefly on a kitchen towel lined plate or basket and enjoy while they are hot!

SHANGHAI SPRING ROLLS (OR EGG ROLLS)

Steps:

• Use the highest flame for the stir frying process.
• Stir fry pork in 2 T oil until no longer pink; add chicken& do the same thing.
• Follow with shrimp.
• Remove to a sieve.
• Add a little more oil to the wok if needed and stir fry the scallions for a few seconds, then add the mushrooms& cabbage; stir fry to wilt cabbage, 2- 3 minutes.
• Stir in sauce.
• When it boils, thicken it with the binder.
• Stir cooked meats back in, followed by sesame oil.
• Set aside to drain and cool.
• Assemble in skins using beaten egg to seal.
• Deep fry at about 325°F until half cooked.
• (Can be frozen at this point. Defrost before continuing).
• When ready to serve, deep fry at 375 until golden brown and crisp.
• Blot well on paper towels.