Spring rolls

This spring roll recipe is brought to you by our very own Chef Volee – from her home ‘town’ of Hong Kong.  It is vegetarian and delicious. 

Ingredients

• 10 spring roll wrappers (usually half a pack)
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbs water
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 4 pieces dried shiitake mushrooms 
• 10cm carrot
• 10cm celery 
• Half a small onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 100g cabbage 
• Dried black fungus (can skip) 
• 1 small bunch of mung bean Vermicelli 
• 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• Salt
• White pepper

Method

1. Soak dried shitake mushrooms for at least 4 hours or overnight in just enough water to cover. 

2. Drain mushrooms.  Keep the soaking water (it is liquid gold!).
3. Slice mushrooms thinly, marinate with ½ tsp white sugar, 1 tsp cornstarch, 1 tsp light soy sauce.
4. Mix the remaining cornflour and water together to make a slurry.
5. Soak vermicelli in warm water (it doesn’t need to be completely softened, only soft enough to manipulate – later on we will use it to soak up all the flavourful juices).
6.  Thinly slice cabbage (about 3mm), cut celery into thin strips (julienne), and cut carrots into thin strips (or you can grate the carrots if you like.
7. Mince garlic (use the flat of your knife to scrape and mince).
8. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or frypan over medium heat, and fry garlic, onion, celery and carrot till semi-softened. Add in cabbage. Add in soaked vermicelli. Cook until cabbage is a lottle softened but still has crunch.
9. Season with soy sauce, vego oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil, salt and pepper
10. Cool the filling completely before starting to assemble the spring rolls.
11.  Take a wrapper and place the wrapper with a corner pointing toward you. Spoon about two tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto the wrapper, about 3 cm from the corner that is closest to you. Roll it over once, and fold in each side.  Continue rolling it into a cigar shape.  Brush some cornstarch mixed with water onto the corner of the wrapper that is farthest from you to seal it.
12. To fry, put 5cm of oil in a small saucepan. Heat the oil to 170 degrees – or until a bit of spring toll wrapper bubbles a bit when dropped in.
13. Add the spring rolls to the oil one at a time – fry in small batches and don’t crowd the pan.  Roll them over at least once so they cook evenly.  When golden brown, remove and drain on a plate or rack lined with paper towels.  
14. Serve with your favourite dipping sauce.