Spring Rolls anyone?

We have a wonderful place here in Louisville called "Creation Gardens," which is essentially a wholesale food source for high quality restaurants that sells to the general public as well. It's in an old mostly unheated downtown warehouse, and in it can be found all sorts of wonderful and exotic foodstuffs. While browsing the Asian section last Saturday I came across a package of dried spring roll wrappers, wrapped themselves in cellophane, with a kind of waffled pattern on them. Hmmmm, I thought. Spring rolls could be a lot of fun. Does anyone here make spring rolls? And if so, what do you use for wrappers? These looked like you'd soak them for a while to soften them, but I'm not really all that keen on something that's been sitting dried up for a long time and then re-hydrated. Can you home-make them? Buy them fresh? And what do you put in them? And then one might be tempted to ask the same sorts of questions about egg-rolls. Ideas?

Bob, I've used these, and yes, you soak them...I recently did them filled with a lot of veg. They are surprsingly easy to use...I think I did shredded lettuce, carrots, mint....hmm. I can't even remember what else, but let your own tastes guide you

I make Filipino Lumpia.....same thing basically, just called different names in each area.
2 1/2 - 3 lbs. shredded chicken breast
3 T. oil
4 garlic cloves
1 large onion, chopped
16 oz. shredded carrots
1 bunch celery, chopped
1 head cabbage, shredded
1 bag bean sprouts-(I delete due to allergies and a dislike)
2 - 8 oz. pkgs. frozen French cut green beans
1 can 8 oz. chopped water chestnuts
garlic powder, salt and soy sauce
Menlo brand Lumpia wrappers, or look for the ones that are separated

Sauté onion and garlic till soft. Add carrots, celery, cabbage, bean sprouts, and chicken. Mix well and cook for 20 minutes. Drain in colander. Use plate to press water out. Put on cookie sheet. Taste, add more garlic, salt, if necessary. Add a few splashes of low-sodium soy sauce. Add some fresh, grated ginger root. When cool, wrap into Lumpia wrappers. Freeze
When ready to eat, take frozen Lumpia and cook in oil until crispy and hot all the way through.
Dip into soy sauce with red pepper flakes added or Sweet and Sour Sauce or Sweet Chilie Sauce.
Below is a video showing how to wrap...I add a bit more filling.

[urlhttp://www.foodbuzz.com/videos/587240-how-to-wrap-lumpia][/url]

We have a wonderful place here in Louisville called "Creation Gardens," which is essentially a wholesale food source for high quality restaurants that sells to the general public as well. It's in an old mostly unheated downtown warehouse, and in it can be found all sorts of wonderful and exotic foodstuffs. While browsing the Asian section last Saturday I came across a package of dried spring roll wrappers, wrapped themselves in cellophane, with a kind of waffled pattern on them. Hmmmm, I thought. Spring rolls could be a lot of fun. Does anyone here make spring rolls? And if so, what do you use for wrappers? These looked like you'd soak them for a while to soften them, but I'm not really all that keen on something that's been sitting dried up for a long time and then re-hydrated. Can you home-make them? Buy them fresh? And what do you put in them? And then one might be tempted to ask the same sorts of questions about egg-rolls. Ideas?

Bob,
Those sound like standard-issue "salad" roll wrappers for the kind of fresh rolls made in Vietnamese cooking. Basically, the way you use them is to just dip one into water, enough to wet it. It softens very quickly, at which point you have about 5 minutes to put the ingredients inside and wrap it up. The trick, though, is to wrap it tightly enough that the roll has structural integrity. It takes a while to master the art.

Mark Lipton

Rice paper, right? Bahn tran?

Rice paper, right? Bahn tran?

Yes, rice paper.

I make Filipino Lumpia.....same thing basically, just called different names in each area.

When ready to eat, take frozen Lumpia and cook in oil until crispy and hot all the way through.

Thanks Karen. I was actually thinking of the fresh ones, but these sound pretty interesting too. Do you deep fry them, or just sautee them?

I freeze the fresh batch because it makes such a huge amount. They freeze very well. I often like to eat two for lunch with a side salad. I just take out what I need and brown them in a little peanut oil. Deep frying would be great, I just don't bother with it for the few we use at one time.
I have served them as appetizers on occasion, and still brown them in a pan. They also hold their crispness well on an appetizer tray.

I make Filipino Lumpia.....same thing basically, just called different names in each area.

When ready to eat, take frozen Lumpia and cook in oil until crispy and hot all the way through.

Thanks Karen. I was actually thinking of the fresh ones, but these sound pretty interesting too. Do you deep fry them, or just sautee them?

Bob, if you have the rice paper ones (which is what I referred to in my last post), I don't know if you can deep fry them. Certainly, their principal use is for the fresh rolls, and Chinese-type fried Spring Rolls use a different, sturdier wrapper.

Mark Lipton

[Jenise]

I make Filipino Lumpia.....same thing basically, just called different names in each area.

When ready to eat, take frozen Lumpia and cook in oil until crispy and hot all the way through.

Thanks Karen. I was actually thinking of the fresh ones, but these sound pretty interesting too. Do you deep fry them, or just sautee them?

Bob, if you have the rice paper ones (which is what I referred to in my last post), I don't know if you can deep fry them. Certainly, their principal use is for the fresh rolls, and Chinese-type fried Spring Rolls use a different, sturdier wrapper.

Mark Lipton

Correct on all accounts. The lumpia wrapper is a different kind of dough, I've not made it but from working with frozen product it's more a thin pancake from either a batter or pastry. The bahn tran is for fresh use (for the record, I tried panfrying one once just to see what happened, and wasn't pleased with the result--the wrappers burned almost immediately). And the dried product works VERY well, Bob, don't be afraid. The 'soaking' is very quick--I prefer not to soak them but to just run them under warm water because they refresh/soften in seconds and you don't want them to absorb too much water. As others have said, the fillings are pretty much up to you. Shrimp, king crab, glass noodles, slivers of cucumber and carrot, lots of fresh herbs--you're good to go. They also work nicely at this time of year with un-Vietnamese fillings like asparagus and thinly sliced ham.

Chinese spring roll skins are made by mixing up a somewhat watery dough. This is then wiped across a hot, ungreased flat skillet and the thin skin is peeled off as soon as it sets but before it browns. I've never tried making the skins from scratch. Most Chinese markets sell them frozen. Defrost, wrap, and deep-fry.

-Paul W.

Thanks to all of you. I will report my results. So many food projects, so little time...

bob,

i just saw this recipe with won ton wrappers on a blog i follow . . .
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/mo ... ecipe.html

bob,

i just saw this recipe with won ton wrappers on a blog i follow . . .
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/mo ... ecipe.html

Hi Patty, I just now saw that you haved recently joind the WLDG/FLDG forums, so I thought I might throw out a welcome. I used to do this all the time, but we have grown to a point that it is impossible to keep up. Anyway, <b>WELCOME</b>