Little Chinese Laundry Bundles Spring Rolls Recipes

LITTLE CHINESE LAUNDRY BUNDLES - SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Mince or finely chop your chicken breasts. (I use a food processor and pulse until it is finely minced; be careful you do NOT over process and puree the chicken!).
• If the broccoli florets in the broccoli slaw are very large, break them down into very small pieces.
• Prepare the fresh cucumber and onion garnish - combine the shredded green onions with the cucumber strips in a serving bowl with a little soy sauce.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the broccoli slaw, peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and cilantro leaves. Mix them together and allow to infuse for about 10 minutes. In another small bowl, add a little soy sauce to the minced chicken breasts.
• Pre-heat the vegetable oil for deep-frying to 180 degrees C or 360 degrees F while preparing the spring rolls.
• Heat a wok over medium high to high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of peanut oil. When the oil is hot, add the minced chicken and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the seasoned vegetable mix, and cook for a further 1 to 2 minutes stirring vigorously all the time to toss the chicken and vegetables around in the wok.
• Lay a spring roll wrapper in front of you so that it forms a diamond shape. Use your index finger to wet all the edges with the beaten egg white. Place approximately 2 tablespoons of filling in the middle. Bring the two of the sides up into the middle then lift up the other two sides to form a bundle, making sure that the wrapper overlaps to make a tight seal. (If the wrappers are too small, use the traditional roll way - Place approximately 2 tablespoons of filling near the bottom. Roll over once, tuck in the sides, and then continue rolling. Seal the top.) At this stage, you can tie the blades of fresh chives around the bundles/rolls if you are using them.
• Deep-fry the bundles/rolls in 3 to 4 batches, cooking until they are golden brown and crispy (about 3 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Arrange them on a serving platter, sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve with the cucumber ad green onion garnish.

CHINESE SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Mix the pork with the marinade ingredients and set aside for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Cut all of the vegetables to approximately the same size. You want everything the same size so each ingredient blends together.
• Brown the pork over high heat in 2 tablespoons of oil, and add the garlic, mushrooms and carrots. Stir fry for 30 seconds, and add the bamboo shoots, napa cabbage, and Shaoxing wine. Continue stir-frying for a minute. Adjust the heat to simmer the mixture, as the napa cabbage will release a lot of moisture.
• Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and sugar. At this time, you have the option of adding 1/4 cup of the decanted water from soaking the dried mushrooms. It strengthens the mushroom flavor, so this is purely according to your personal preference. You may also have to simmer the filling longer to reduce the additional liquid.
• Continue simmering the filling for another 3 minutes--until the napa cabbage is completely wilted--and stir in the corn starch slurry to thicken. How much slurry you add depends upon the wetness of the filling (this varies if your cabbage had more moisture or if you did add the optional mushroom water), but there should be no standing liquid at all.
• Transfer the filling to a large shallow bowl, and let cool. Place into the refrigerator to cool further-at least one hour. It's best to start with a cold filling for easier wrapping. The key to wrapping spring rolls is making sure that they're tight, yet not overstuffed. It's best to use fresh spring roll wrappers if you can, as freezing the wrappers can result in the spring roll skin being a bit too damp.
• Place the wrapper on a flat surface so that a corner is facing toward you. Use about two spoonfuls of the mixture per spring roll, and spoon it about 2 inches from the corner that is closest to you. Roll it over once, 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 the cornstarch water onto the corner of the wrapper that is farthest from you to seal it.
• In case you're wondering, we did try egg wash instead of the cornstarch mixture to seal the spring roll but the egg wash "stains" the spring roll, so it's best to use the cornstarch mixture.
• Place each roll on a tray. This recipe makes about 18-20 spring rolls. You can also freeze these spring rolls on the tray overnight, and transfer them to a zip-lock bag when they are completely frozen for future use. We usually fry some fresh and freeze the rest, unless we are hosting a party, in which case, these go like hot cakes!
• To fry the spring rolls, fill a small pot (which requires less oil) with oil until it's 2 to 3 inches deep. Heat the oil slowly over medium heat until it reaches 325 degrees. Gently add the spring rolls one at a time, frying in small batches. Carefully roll them in the oil so they cook evenly until golden brown and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels.
• Prepare the dipping sauce by adding all ingredients to a small sauce pan. Mix and heat until just simmering and pour into a small bowl. Serve the spring rolls hot with the dipping sauce!

AUTHENTIC CHINESE SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Mix marinade ingredients well. Add pork. Mix well and marinate at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

CHINESE CRISPY SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Shred vegetables to the same size and shape as bean sprouts.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in wok and stir-fry vegetables for 1 minute.
• Add salt, sugar, light soy sauce, and rice wine.
• Stir-fry 2 minutes more; drain and cool.
• To make a spring roll, cut the wrapper in half diagonally.
• Place 1 tbsp of veggie mixture one-third of the way down the wrapper, then turn the wrapper so the small tip of the diagonal is pointing away from you.
• Fold the wide edge of the wrapper over the filling and roll over one time.
• Fold in the sides, and roll the wrapper away from you one time more.
• Brush the upper edge of the wrapper with cornstarch paste (to make cornstarch paste, simply mix 4 parts cornstarch to 5 parts cold water, and stir till dissolved).
• Finish rolling the spring roll, keeping it a bit tight.
• Sprinkle some flour on a baking sheet (to keep spring rolls from sticking), and rest the spring rolls there, flap side down, while you finish making the other rolls.
• To cook, heat the oil in a wok or fryer until hot, then reduce the heat to low.
• Fry the spring rolls in batches, making sure not to crowd, cooking until they are golden and crispy, about 2-3 minutes.
• Remove rolls from oil and drain on paper toweling.
• Serve hot with soy sauce, or sweet and sour and hot mustard, if desired.

CHINESE LAUNDRY

Steps:

• Cook the mushrooms in butter in a non stick pan until tender.
• (if you don't want to do this use 1 can sliced mushrooms) Add the bean sprouts and cook for two minutes (if you don't want to do this used tinned) Mix all the ingredients in a large casserole dish.
• Cover and bake at 350F for at least 45 minutes.