Spring Festival – Spring Rolls

The Spring Festival of 2009 is January 26. Chinese always say “每逢佳节，倍思亲” (měi féng jiā jié,bèi sī qīn). It means that on the happy festival, more than ever we think of our relatives far away. In 2001, it was the last time I had celebrated the Spring Festival with my big family in Shanghai, China. I miss reunion which brought me joy, I also miss the food my grandma and mother prepared for the holiday. One of their speciality is Spring Roll.   

In my childhood, we did not eat spring roll until the Spring Festival, hence the name. During the Spring Festival, my mother would prepare two kinds of spring rolls. One is sweet spring roll with red beans paste inside but it is not my favorite. I love the spring roll that comes with lot of vegetable and sliced pork. It is very juicy inside and crispy outside.  

I want to share my mother’s recipe of Shanghai Spring Roll here.

Ingredients:

• Chinese black mushrooms or Shitake mushrooms
• Pork tenderloin
• Bamboo shoots
• Nappa cabbage
• Yellow Chinese chives (tender leeks) or needle mushrooms
• Chun Juan Pi (spring roll skins, you can get them in Chinese grocery.  Do not buy Egg Roll skin.)

 Method:

1. Soak the Chinese black mushrooms in hot water; do not remove until the mushrooms become soft, rinse, drain, and cut off the stem and discard the stems.  Then, shred the mushroom for later use.
2. Shred the meat; mix with cooking wine, soy sauce, cornstarch and water for later use.  Add 2 T. oil and stir before frying so that the shredded meat will separate easily during frying.
3. Rinse bamboo shoots, Nappa cabbage and Yellow Chinese chives, and shred them into 2-inch.
4. Heat the wok then add the oil.  Stir-fry the meat then remove it (precooking).  Remove the oil from the wok.  Reheat the wok and add 1 T. oil.  Stir-fry the black mushroom until fragrant.  Add bamboo shoots, Nappa cabbage and Yellow Chinese chives; stir to mix.  Add the meat and dash of water, dash of salt and essence of chicken.  You can put dash of pepper and sesame oil depending on your preference.  Then add mixture (cornstarch mixed with water) to thicken.   This is the filling.
5. Wait for the filling cold .
6. Wrap 2 T of filling with a piece of spring roll skin.  Make rolls 2 ¾” x ¾”.  Seal the wrapping with the paste made with flour and water, then put it in over-medium-hot oil and fry till browned.  Ladle out.  Drain and serve

I hope you enjoy the recipe.  If do make it, please let me know how you like it.