🍴: {Spring rolls, by Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking}

martes, 3 de diciembre de 2019

{Spring rolls, by Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking}

MAKES: 12 ROLLS, OR 6 SERVINGS

It feels, on occasion, that we are about to be engulfed in an avalanche of spring
rolls. These small, classic fried fingers of dough, a symbolic food of the Chi-
nese Lunar New Year, have become a culinary obsession of nearly every Chi-
nese chef, who readily packs them with his or her current fancy. There is no
food, no flavoring, no garnish that doesn’t find its way into a spring roll. Nor
has this iconic food traveled well over the years. In its migration to and trans-
lation by the West, this petite, delicate food has become the thick, cumber-
some log known as the egg roll.

It is time to rescue the Cantonese chun geun (or chun juan, as it is known
elsewhere in China), “the roll of spring.” This symbolic food—its shape,
reminiscent of a gold bar, is a harbinger of good fortune—is synonymous with
New Year’s Day and is enjoyed throughout the ensuing half-month celebration
of the beginning of spring. The wrappers are the product of a special dough,
and you can make your own to continue your understanding of core Chinese
cooking. Or, you can buy good ready-made spring roll wrappers (see recipe) in
Chinatown markets. You will need 12 wrappers, each 6 inches in diameter.
What follows is the spring roll of tradition.

INGREDIENTS
DOUGH
3 cups Pillsbury Best All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1¹/2 cups water

FILLING

4 ounces shrimp, cleaned and finely shredded (see Cleaver discussion)
3 ounces pork butt, shredded (see Cleaver discussion)
1 teaspoon salt
¹/2 teaspoon light soy sauce
3 scallions, cut into 1¹/2-inch lengths and white portions shredded
1¹/2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 pound mung bean sprouts, ends removed
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

6 cups peanut oil
Chili-mustard condiment (see Dumpling Sauces)

1. To make the dough: In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt and make
a well in the center. Gradually add the water to the well and use your fingers to
combine it with the flour until it is absorbed and a loose dough forms. If the
dough is too dry, add a little more water. Knead the dough in the bowl for
about 20 minutes, or until it becomes elastic. Cover the dough with a damp
cloth and let rest for 3 to 4 hours.

2. Wash and dry a griddle, making certain it is completely free of any vestiges
of grease. Heat the griddle over low heat. When it is hot, grasp a large handful
of dough from the bowl, hold it up, and rotate your wrist in a constant, slow
motion. Keep the dough upward, working it with your fingers and palm. Then
quickly press the dough onto the center of the hot griddle, using a circular mo-
tion, and then just as quickly pull back, leaving a thin, rough layer of dough
about 6 inches in diameter on the griddle.

3. The dough will begin to dry at its edges in 10 to 12 seconds, which means
the wrapper is ready. Carefully peel the wrapper from the griddle and remove it
to a large plate.

4. Repeat until you have made 6 wrappers, stacking them as they are made,
then wrap them in a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out. Repeat to
make 6 more wrappers, so you have 12 wrappers total, in two batches. Leave
each batch wrapped in its damp cloth, slide the batches into separate plastic
bags, seal, and refrigerate for at least overnight or up to 4 days. (They can also
be frozen for up to 2 months.) Allow to come to room temperature before
using. The wrappers must be made at least a day in advance of use because
they are too dry and brittle to work with when freshly made. Storing them in the
refrigerator makes them pliable.

5. To make the filling: Place the shrimp and pork in separate small bowls. Add
¹/2 teaspoon salt and ¹/4 teaspoon soy sauce to each bowl, mix well, and allow
to marinate for 30 minutes next to the work surface where you will be forming
the rolls. Place the scallions in a small bowl nearby. Heat a wok over high heat
for 30 seconds. Add the peanut oil and, using a spatula, coat the wok with the
oil. When a wisp of white smoke appears, add the bean sprouts and stir-fry for
1¹/2 minutes, or until they are wilted. Turn off the heat, remove the bean
sprouts with a Chinese strainer, and drain them well over a bowl. Pat dry with
paper towels and place in a small bowl near the other filling ingredients. Wash
and dry the wok and reserve.

6. Place the wrappers and beaten eggs near the filling ingredients. Lay a wrap-
per on a large, flat plate. Add together, one at a time, 1¹/2 to 2 tablespoons
bean sprouts, large pinches each of the marinated shrimp and pork, and some
scallions, arranging the ingredients in a line 3 to 3¹/4 inches long and equal
distance from the sides of the wrapper and about 2 inches from the edge near-
est you. Dip your fingers into the beaten egg, rub the egg all along the edge of
the wrapper, and begin rolling from the edge nearest you. As you roll, fold in
the sides of the wrapper. Keep lightly dampening the edges of the wrapper with
the beaten egg as you roll and fold to ensure a secure closing. Once the roll is
done, dampen the seam with more beaten egg and press to seal. The spring
roll should be packed, rolled, and folded tightly and should be about 4 inches
long. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers. (If you are using store-
bought square wrappers, position the wrapper so a corner is facing you, posi-
tion the line of filling ingredients across the wrapper about 2¹/2 inches from
the corner nearest you, and then roll the same way.)

HOW TO MAKE THE WRAPPER See step 2.

ROTATING SPRING ROLL DOUGH ON GRIDDLE

PICKING UP EXCESS DOUGH, LEAVING THIN PANCAKE

7. Heat the wok over high heat for 1 minute. Add the peanut oil and heat to
350°F on a deep-frying thermometer. Cook 4 rolls at a time, quickly sliding
them into the oil one at a time. Deep-fry for 1 minute, then turn the rolls over
and continue to cook, moving the rolls back and forth and turning them, for
about 3 minutes longer, or until they are an even light brown. Adjust the heat
as needed to prevent burning. Using the Chinese strainer, remove the rolls
from the oil and drain them well over a bowl. Repeat with the remaining 8 rolls
in 2 batches. When the last batch is the same light brown as the first 2 batches,
return the first 8 rolls to the wok and deep-fry, adjusting the heat as needed
and moving the rolls about in the oil, for 1¹/2 to 2 minutes, or until all of the
rolls are golden brown.

8. Turn off the heat, remove the spring rolls with the strainer, and drain them
briefly over a bowl. Then transfer them to a heated plate and serve. Accompany
with the chili-mustard condiment.

NO WORCESTERSHIRE, PLEASE
WORCESTERSHIRE

I saw it happen once and thought it an aberration. Then I saw it again,
and I was aghast. What I saw repeatedly was waiters in dim sum restau-
rants pouring Worcestershire sauce into small condiment dishes for serv-
ing with spring rolls. Never, ever do that. Instead, do as I have suggested
in the spring roll recipe and make a batch of the same hot mustard and
chili sauce mixture (see Dumpling Sauces) that I serve as a sauce for
some of my dumplings.

HOW TO FORM THE SPRING ROLLS See step 6.