Aunt June’s Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls

Spring rolls are said to get their name because they are served on the first day of Chinese New Year (in the spring) and also because of the spring onion which is an ingredient. Many people use the terms spring roll and egg roll interchangeably, and some say that the spring roll is smaller and more delicate than the egg roll. Sometimes spring rolls are wrapped in rice wrappers rather than the egg roll wrappers which are made with wheat flour and egg dough. Most Asian countries have a version of these deep-fried appetizers and many insist they are the creator of them. I have no idea who really invented the egg roll or the spring roll, and frankly, I don’t really care! What I do care about is how they taste, and these are my favorite. These were included in “June Lee’s Famous Chinese Banquet,” and this is the recipe I use when I make them for catering jobs and family dinners. If you want to make them ahead, lay them on parchment-lined cookie sheets and freeze before cooking, then put in plastic bags to store in the freezer. Fry them just before you want to serve them; no need to thaw before frying.

48 regular size Spring Rolls or 64 mini spring rolls

1/2 pound lean pork, chopped

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound raw shrimp, chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cornstarch

5 tablespoons oil

1/2 pound Chinese cabbage, shredded 1" long

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

1/2 pound bean sprouts

2 green onions including tops, finely chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon MSG

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 package spring-roll wrapper, cut in half diagonally

1 egg, beaten

Mix the pork with the soy sauce, cornstarch, and salt and marinate.

Mix the shrimp with the cornstarch and salt and marinate.

Heat 5 tablespoons oil in frying pan. Stir fry the pork until it is white. Set pork aside. Stir fry the shrimp in the same oil until pink; set aside with the pork. In the same pan, stir fry the cabbage. Add soy sauce, salt, and 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Add shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts. Stir fry about 1/2 minutes. Add green onions. Push the food aside and add the cornstarch mixture to the juice to thicken sauce. when thick, stir together and add MSG and sesame oil.

For each roll, Brush each skin with the beaten egg, then place a heaping tablespoon of the mixture in the center of the skin. Fold the point over the filling, fold in the edges and roll up, envelope style. Deep fry until brown in hot oil.

Note: you may substitute crab or lobster for the shrimp.