Siyue Zong (Jenny)- #1 post – Shanghai Style Spring Rolls

Shanghai Style Spring Rolls

You may hear about spring rolls before. It is a very traditional Chinese dish. According to China International Travel Service, the Spring Rolls appeared way back in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420 AD). In the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368- 1912 AD), there was a custom of “biting spring”, which means welcoming spring by eating spring cakes. The practice was believed to ward off disaster and evil. Spring rolls were included in imperial court snacks(from http://www.cits.net/china-travel-guide/spring-rolls-.html)

In my hometown, Shanghai, my family only prepare the dish during the Spring Festival every year. For me, it is a symbol of the start of a new year. All my family gather for a huge dinner in my house, watch the “Spring Festival Live” together and watch or light up the fireworks together. We have approximately 20 or more dish to serve that night, including fish, shrimp, pork, and dessert. We have cold dishes first, in smaller plates set on the table before everybody arrives. Then, we start to heat-up our deep-fry wok and serve the Spring Rolls. I believe, spring rolls are the first hot dish to serve on the Spring Festival.

As ordering food online and food delivery become more and more convenient, my mom can order the pre-prepared food online so that she will not be super exhausted after the meal. However, spring rolls are the ones we always make by ourselves. The preparations for making the Spring Rolls take for hours. First, you need to have wraps. When I was little, my grandma used to make the Spring Rolls wraps by herself. The wraps are made of flour and water. We do not put eggs. The balance of the flour and water is very tricky. The batter is the key. Put some of the oil on a flat pan and spread the batter out evenly to form a circle. Remove the round Spring Rolls wraps from the pan and refrigerate them. My grandma’s Spring Rolls wraps are thin and in the prefect round shapes. I miss the grandma made Spring Rolls wraps. I also miss my grandma. As it takes a lot of efforts, my mom buys the pre-prepared wraps now.

After you make the wraps or you have the wraps ready, it is the time to prepare the stuffing. Shanghai style stuffing is very unique. We use shii-take, pork slices, spring bamboo shoots and Napa cabbage to make the savory ones; we use red bean paste to make the sweet ones. The savory Spring Rolls are my favorite. Everything in the savory Spring Rolls is sliced into matchsticks-like shape. You roll the stuffing up inside the Spring Rolls wraps and then deep fry them. When the Spring Rolls turn to gold color, they are ready.

To me, the gathering of me and my mom to make the Spring Rolls together even make the dish more special and more “delicious”. We always roll the Spring Rolls together. We chat about everything. I feel much closer to my mom and I really enjoy that period of time. I always help to bring the plate with right-out-of-wok ones to the table. I always call out “The Spring Rolls are coming!” and then everyone will sit in their seats and begin the big dinner. The scene of the Spring Festival to me is the hotness in the kitchen, the golden Spring Rolls in the plates, and everybody sitting around the table with  the happy faces when they are eating the Spring Rolls.

It has been almost 5 years that I did not spend time in China during Spring Festival. I miss the big meal, the warmth in the house, and the time with my family. I talked to my mom couple years ago during the Spring Festival and I said I really miss the Spring Rolls. My mom asked, “Why not you make Spring Rolls by yourself?” So, I actually made the Spring Rolls in U.S.. Although it tasted a little bit different: all the slices in the stuffing were too wide, a little bit salty, some rolls were broken after deep-fried, but I really enjoyed it. The hard work to make the Spring Rolls became a special memory. I believe it is the sign of grown-up and independence. What I want can only be done by myself. I am no longer under my family’s shelter, but an independent person lives by myself. Whenever I think about Spring Festival in U.S., the scene of making my own Spring Rolls will appear in my mind. Spring rolls become the symbol of the strong connection to my family, and also the symbol of grown-up.

Recipe: How to make the Spring Roll Wrap? https://www.thespruceeats.com/spring-roll-wrappers-694519

Ingredients:

1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup water

• In a large bowl, stir the salt into the flour.
• Mix the water into the flour to form a batter.
• Cover and let rest for 1 hour.
• Spray a pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-low heat.
• Turn the heat down to low and add a heaping tablespoon of the batter to the middle of the pan.
• Quickly spread the batter out evenly to form a circle 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Continue smoothing out the batter as the skin cooks.
• Cook the skin briefly, until it is cooked on the bottom and the edges curl slightly. Take care not to overcook.
• Remove carefully and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use as called for in the recipe.
• Use these with your favorite spring roll recipe and enjoy.

How to make the Shanghai-Style Spring Rolls? https://thewoksoflife.com/shanghai-style-spring-rolls/

Ingredients: 1/2-pound ground pork; 8-ounce bamboo shoots, ; drained and minced; 1-pound Napa cabbage; 8-ounce Shii-take mashrooms.

• Mix the pork with the marinade ingredients and let sit for 20-30 minutes. Shred the cabbage and slice your mushrooms.
• Over medium heat, add 4 tablespoons of oil to your wok. Brown the pork.
• Then add the mushrooms and cook for another couple of minutes until fragrant. Add the Napa cabbage and stir well.
• Season with salt, white pepper, Shaoxing wine, and soy sauce. Stir everything together, cover the lid and let it cook over high heat for 2 – 3 minutes, or until the cabbage is wilted.
• Uncover the lid and add the cornstarch slurry. Stir. The mixture will start to thicken. Lastly, add sesame oil and stir everything thoroughly. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool completely.
• The key to wrapping spring rolls is making sure that they’re really tight and not overstuffed. Take out your spring roll wrappers.
• And place the wrapper in front of you so that a corner is facing toward you. Use about one and a half tablespoons of the mixture per spring roll, spoon it about an inch and a half from the corner closest to you. Roll it over once tightly, tucking the corner under the filling and like you’re making a burrito, fold over both sides. Continue rolling it into a cigar shape. With your fingers, brush a bit of water to the closing corner of the wrap to seal it. Place each roll seam-side down on a tray.
• To fry the spring rolls, use a small pot or shallow pan (which requires less oil) and fill it with oil until it’s about 1-inch deep, just enough to submerge the spring rolls when frying.
• Slowly add the spring rolls and fry them in small batches. Cook each side until golden brown and drain on a plate lined with a paper towel.
• We like to serve our Shanghai Style Spring rolls with some Chinese black vinegar