Authentic Chinese Spring Rolls

This recipe comes from a Chinese cooking teacher who is herself Chinese. She taught us home-style Chinese cooking. This recipe takes some time to make, but is well worth it. Better than the best restaurant fare!

• Ready In: 2 hrs 30 mins
• Yields: 50 rolls - cut in half diagonally for 100 pieces to s

Ingredients

• 2  lbs  ground lean pork

• Pork marinade

• 2  tablespoons cornstarch
• 2  tablespoons  rice wine vinegar
• 2  tablespoons dry sherry
• 1  teaspoon salt

• Vegetables for filling

• 10 -12  cups cabbage, shredded
• 12  ounces carrots, shredded
• 1 (8 ounce) can bamboo shoots, squeezed of excess moisture and shredded
• 8 -10  dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated in boiling water, squeezed and shredded
• 1  bunch green onion, thinly sliced

• Binder for filling

• 2  tablespoons cornstarch
• 1  teaspoon sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon white pepper
• 4  tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 -2  teaspoon  sesame oil
• 1 -2  tablespoon dry sherry

• Wrappers

• 50  spring roll wrappers, paper-thin wheat-based, thawed if frozen. Wei-Chan brand recommended

• Sealer for rolls

• 4  tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6  tablespoons water

• Oil for frying

• 1  quart  vegetable oil

• Dipping sauce

• 2  tablespoons  hot sauce, Frank's or Durkee brand recommended
• 3  tablespoons soy sauce
• 3  tablespoons water
• 1  tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1  teaspoon sugar
• 1  teaspoon dry sherry

• Alternate dipping sauce

• 6  tablespoons  apricot jam
• 2  tablespoons dry sherry
• 4 -6  tablespoons soy sauce
• 4  teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1  green onion, sliced
• 1  dash white pepper
• 1  tablespoon  hot sauce, Frank's or Durkee brand recommended (optional)

Directions

1. Mix marinade ingredients well. Add pork. Mix well and marinate at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
2. Saute cabbage and carrots in 1 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in wok until crisp-tender. Alternately, steam vegetables in a bamboo steamer until crisp-tender (about 5 minutes). Spread out on a cookie sheet or jellyroll pan and put in refrigerator (or freezer, if you’re in a hurry) until thoroughly cold. Saute meat in wok in 1 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil until no longer pink. Continue to saute until all moisture/juices have evaporated. Meat should appear dry. Spread out on another cookie sheet or jellyroll pan and put in refrigerator (or freezer, if you’re in a hurry) until thoroughly cold. Stir together cooled meat, binder mixture, cooled cabbage and carrots, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and green onions. Mix well. Make sure filling is cool to the touch.
3. Combine sealer ingredients and mix until smooth. Place one wrapper on the counter with a point facing toward you, so the wrapper looks diamond-shaped, not square. Place a small amount of filling, about 1/4 cup, about 1/3 of the way up on on the wrapper. roll the wrapper tightly, tucking in the sides, to form a narrow finished roll about 1/2 to 2/3 inch in diameter. Seal the roll by brushing the triangle end flap with sealer for about the last 1-1/2 to 2 inches. Keep finished rolls under a damp towel or a couple of damp paper towels. Can be refrigerated or frozen at the point. For long term storage in freezer, put rolls in plastic bags.
4. To make the dipping sauce, combine all ingredients and stir well. To make the alternate dipping sauce, combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring until smooth. Strain and cool.
5. Heat 1 quart vegetable oil in wok to about 350 degrees. Add rolls one at a time. Do not crowd. Cook in batches of 8 to 10 until deep golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Regulate heat as necessary to maintain temperature. Don’t let temperature go over 375 degrees. Cut in half diagonally and serve warm with a Chinese mustard for dipping and one of the soy-sauce based dipping sauces listed above. Cutting the rolls in half diagonally facilitates absorption of the sauce into the filling when the roll is dipped. Also, it makes the rolls go farther and be easier for people to handle at a party, etc. Cooled rolls can be reheated at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, wrapped in foil.