Chinese spring rolls

The  spring rolls , rolled spring, chun kun or lúmpia, depending on the country we are in, is an easy and very successful dish that is among the most identifying of Chinese cuisine outside its borders.

Traditionally they are prepared in China as part of the Chinese New Year celebration, which usually takes place with the arrival of spring.

In the West this recipe has been confused with a very similar, also Chinese, egg roll. The difference is that the spring roll is less thin and smaller in size than the egg rolls, which are more similar to those usually served in Chinese restaurants.

Another difference is that the egg roll is prepared with wheat flour dough, while the spring roll is usually with rice flour. The confusion is such that sometimes both names are often used for both dishes interchangeably.

In any case, both one and the other are nothing more than a roll of pasta stuffed with julienne vegetables and minced meat that is fried in abundant oil. The most used vegetables are Chinese cabbage, carrots and bean sprouts, although they can also include mushrooms and even cellophane noodles, made from soybeans.

There are varieties of this dish in almost all Asian cuisines, being typical of Thailand, Korea, Indonesia and Japan. They are usually served accompanied by sweet and sour sauce or soy sauce.

 Preparation of spring rolls

1. Cut the vegetables into julienne strips and reserve. In a wok, or in a frying pan if you do not have, add 3 tablespoons of oil to fry. When it is very hot add the cabbage and the onion. We fry constantly stirring until the vegetable is al dente. It should not be very poached but a little crispy.
2. When it is almost ready add a tablespoon of soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil to the wok. We remove a few seconds and remove.
3. In the same wok we add a couple of tablespoons of oil to fry again. When it is hot, add the chopped carrot and repeat the operation. We cook it stirring constantly until al dente, add a tablespoon of soy and a drizzle of sesame oil, stir and remove.
4. We follow the same process with the julienne pepper and reserve.
5. We grease the wok again and this time add the minced meat. We could easily substitute pork or chicken for beef, even eliminate it completely and turn the rolls into vegetables only.
6. Let the meat cook over high heat until it begins to brown. Add the bean sprouts, two tablespoons of soy sauce and a drizzle of sesame oil and continue cooking for 1 or 2 minutes. We add to the wok the rest of the vegetables that we have reserved and allow 2 minutes for the flavors to mix. Remove from the heat and reserve until tempered.
7. We spread a sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface and place a portion of the filling trying to minimize the amount of sauce. If the mixture is too wet, the thin sheet of phyllo may break.
8. We roll making a roll using the entire sheet and fry in plenty of oil. It will be ready in just 1 or 2 minutes. We remove to a tray with absorbent paper and serve hot.

They are perfect accompanied by soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce.

Preparation of the sweet and sour sauce

The sweet and sour sauce is all about mixing the sour and sweet flavors. It is very easy to make at home, the ingredients to use are:

• 75 ml. of white wine vinegar.
• 100 g. of sugar.
• 50 g. of ketchup.
• 75 ml. of water.
• 1 teaspoon type of cornstarch, Maizena type.

1. In a saucepan, heat the vinegar, sugar and ketchup. We dilute the teaspoon of the cornstarch in the water, and we add it to the previous mixture when it begins to heat a little.
2. While stirring throughout the process (otherwise it will stick to the casserole) until it thickens a little. Let cool and we already have the homemade sweet and sour sauce for our spring rolls.