JAPANESE SPRING ROLL RECIPES

Steps:

• Mix the pork, soy sauce, pepper, sugar, sake, egg, sesame oil, cabbage and green onions in a bowl.
• Refrigerate for one hour.
• Take a wrapper and prepare according to instructions (mine require soaking for 20 seconds) until soft and pliable.
• Take a bit of pork and roll it into a ball, about the size of a golf ball or just slightly smaller.
• Put it in the centre of the wrapper and fold the wrapper around until the pork is covered and you have a neat little parcel.
• It may flatten out into little patties as you fold the wrapping around the pork.
• Continue until all the wrappers are filled.
• Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan.
• Fry the spring rolls until they are brown and crispy on both sides.
• Serve immediately, with some soy sauce mixed with chilli oil for dipping in.

Steps:

• For a more detailed description with step by step photos, please visit: http://sumokitchen.com/JapaneseRecipes/spring-rolls/.
• If you are using dry shiitake, soak them at least 30 minutes in water to return them to fresh state. Boil the bamboo shoots for 1 minute, then drain to get rid of the smell. Chop the meat, shiitake, bamboo shoots and leek thinly.Add a little oil to the pan and fry the meat until it changes colour. Then add the chopped ingredients from step one, stirring, add a pinch of salt and pepper and the sugar. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil. In a separate bowl, add 2tbs potato starch to 2tbs water (make sure it’s cold water!) and mix. Then add to the frying pan, mix and heat through until sticky. Leave to cool – if you have time, place in the fridge. When you deep fry the rolls, they’s less chance of them exploding if the insides are cold.Mix 1tbs flour and 1tbs water well to create a glue. Then add a small portion of the meat mix to a sheet of the spring roll paper, which should be lying at an angle, like a diamond. Then follow the folding steps as above, using the glue on the tip of your finger to seal it at the final stage.Heat oil to roughly 180 degrees and start frying the rolls carefully until golden. Then lay out on kitchen paper to let the oil soak up before serving. If you have spring rolls sheets left over, you can add tuna, ham, cheese or any other filling. Another idea is to cut up the sheets thinly, then deep fry them and put in salads to give some crunch.
• If you’d like dipping sauce, I recommend 1part rice vinegar with 1 part soy sauce or just black vinegar on its own.