Spring Rolls With Napa Cabbage And Tofu Food

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!

SPRING ROLLS WITH NAPA CABBAGE AND TOFU

Steps:

• Mix the mustard with 3 tbls. water and set aside.
• Heat 2 quarts water with the sliced ginger and 1 tbls. salt. When it boils, add the cabbage, scallions, anad broccoli and cook for 1 1/2 minutes.(the water won't return to a boil). Drain the vegetables, rinse them with cold water, then wrap them in a clean towel and squeeze a few times until dry. Combine them with the tofu, minced ginger, and garlic. Sprinkle with the sesame oil, sugar, vinegar, and 3/4 teaspoons salt. Toss well and taste the mix to be sure it's seasoned to your taste.
• Lay one egg roll wrapper on the counter at a diagonal, with a corner facing you. Heap 3 tbls. of the filling crosswise, near the base. Lay a cilantro(or parsley) sprig on top. Fold up the lower corner, fold in the outer corners, then wrap. Repeat, using the rest of the filling. Place the egg rolls on a plate and cover with wax paper, then with plastic wrap, until ready to cook.
• To cook, heat 1/2" peanut oil in a medium skillet until hot enough to quickly sizzle a corner of an egg roll. Add two egg rolls and fry until golden, about 2 minutes. Turn and fry the second side, then remove to paper towels to drain. Continue frying the rest.
• Serve hot with mustard sauce or dipping sauce of your choice. Enjoy!

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.

CABBAGE SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Heat the 1 T of oil in a large pot. Add the garlic, onions, and carrots and cook for five minutes on medium heat. Add the cabbage, spices, and stir-fry sauce. Cook until cabbage is reduced and limp, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Add the rice wine and cook until no longer sizzling, just a few minutes. Allow to cool partially before stuffing spring rolls.
• The dough for spring rolls is different than the dough for egg rolls. I had to find spring roll wrappers at an Asian grocery store. They are vegan (which makes this recipe vegan!) but if you can't find any and don't worry about consuming eggs, egg roll wrappers will work as well.
• Stuff the rolls according to the directions on the package, or by following these simple instructions; place a single wrapper on a flat surface so that a corner is facing you. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling below the wrapper's midsection. Fold the bottom corner up so that it just encases the filling. Fold the sides in so the wrapper covers the filling and resembles an envelope with a long top. Press gently as you roll the filling upward, encasing it in the remaining dough.
• If your dough doesn't stick, fill a small bowl with water and use it to lightly wet the dough as you fold during each step.
• Deep fry three rolls at a time in a "Fry Daddy" deep fryer or pan fry in a non-stick pan in one half inch of oil, turning to cook thoroughly. Remove from oil while using either method when the dough has browned evenly but is still light in color. The dough will continue to brown once removed from heat.
• Serve and enjoy!
• NOTE: To freeze, place fresh, uncooked spring rolls in a plastic container, separating each roll with wax or parchment paper. You can do this by layering them or by wrapping them. If they touch, the dough will freeze together and ruin your rolls. Once frozen, you can transfer them to a smaller container without the paper. Thaw for several minutes prior to frying.