This recipe was part of my final class at Whole Foods San Mateo last month.  It was nice to have some of my students whom I have been working with for many years  – Nancy, Bernie, Chris and Yuko were there, as well as my friend, Joyce and the new host of my cooking class in the Peninsula, Wally. It was a nice way to “wrap” up a 7-year teaching stint at Whole Foods.  We wrapped and we ate, and wrapped and ate a variety of spring rolls.

Chef’s tip:   Fresh beancurd skin is quite difficult to find.  Hodo Soy is probably the only folks who sell it in the US.  If you ever see some, you just have to buy it and taste the difference.   For this recipe, if you can’t find the fresh ones, the frozen ones will have to do.  The dried ones would not work.  When rolling the spring roll, ensure no air bubble is trapped within.  Make it compact and dense by pushing out any air bubbles.

Marinade

¼ teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon black, thick soy sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce to taste
½ teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons Five Spice powder
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 lb pork fillet or pork loin, cut into small cubes
3/4 cup water chestnut
1/2 cup cilantro stems, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
¼ cup yellow onions, chopped

20 pieces  6X6 inch fresh beancurd skin/ yuba
1 Tablespoon cornstarch mix with a little water to make a slurry
6 cups canola oil for deep frying

To make the springroll

1. Mix filling ingredients together and marinade for 30 minutes, up to overnight
2. To assemble lobak, place beancurd skin square with one corner facing you.  Next place about 2 Tablespoons of the filling on the bottom third of the skin.  Shape the filling into a cylinder, about 3-inches long.  Fold the bottom flap up and over the filling.  Fold the left and right side over the filling. Holding the sides in place, roll up into a tight cylinder.  Moisten edges with the cornstarch slurry to seal.  Lay the rolls flap side down on a baking tray.  Repeat folding the remaining rolls.
3. Heat oil over medium heat till 350F. Deep fry springrolls till golden brown, about 5-6 minutes.

LOH BAK DIPPING SAUCE

1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
¾ teaspoon Chinese Five Spice powder to be mixed with a bit of water
A pinch of white pepper

1 Tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 3 Tablespoons water
1/2 egg white
1 teaspoon oil

To make the sauce:

4.     Mix all the seasoning ingredients with the stock and bring to a low boil.

5.     Add cornstarch mixture slowly to thicken the sauce.  You may not need all of it.

6.     Beat the egg white and drizzle into the sauce, wait till the egg white becomes opaque white, then stir slowly.  Finish with 1 teaspoon of oil.

Serves: 10

Tags: Malaysian, springrolls, street foods.

Crispy rolls filled with chicken, mushrooms and glass noodles, with characteristically- Thai flavors of lemongrass and fish sauce.  This spring roll differs from their Vietnamese counterpart as it is sweeter and uses eggroll wrappers instead of rice paper.

Chef’s tip: Cutting off an edge of the spring roll wrapper means less pastry around the filling, and would allow the spring roll to thoroughly cook through faster.

2 Tablespoon canola oil
4 small garlic cloves, minced
3 coriander roots, about 2 Tablespoons, scraped and finely chopped (substitute: stems)
3 small shallots, minced
1 lemongrass, white part only, finely minced
1 Thai bird’s eye chili, seeded, finely chopped

6 oz ground chicken
4 oz shrimp, peeled, cleaned, chopped into ½ inch pieces
2 Tablespoons fish sauce
1 Tablespoon palm sugar
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large egg

1 cup wood ear mushroom, fresh or reconstituted, tough stems removed, sliced thinly
1 cup shiitake mushroom, stemmed, small diced
½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 stalk green onions, thinly sliced
½ carrot, peeled and grated
2 oz cellophane mung bean noodles, reconstituted in water, cut into 2 inch length

20 pieces 8×8 inch egg springroll wrapper

8 cups canola oil

1.     In a sauté pan. heat oil over medium heat and sauté the garlic, coriander roots, shallots, lemongrass and chilies until fragrant, about 4 minutes.  Let cool.  Set aside.
2.     In a large bowl, add chicken, minced shrimp fish sauce, palm sugar, black pepper, and egg and mix to combine.
3.     Add cooled sautéed garlic mixture, chopped mushrooms, onions, green onions, carrots and bean thread, Stir until just combined.  Do not overmix.
4.     Cut off one corner of a springroll wrapper.  Moisten uncut edges with water.  With the cut corner closest to you, place about 2 Tablespoons of the filling on the bottom third of the wrapper.  Shape the filling into a cylinder, about 3-inches long.  Fold the left and right side over the filling. Holding the sides in place, fold the bottom flap up and roll the roll up into a tight cylinder.  Lay the rolls flap side down on the moistened towel and cover with another moist towel.  Repeat folding the remaining rolls.
5.     Frying the spring rolls:  Heat canola oil till 330F.  Drop several spring rolls into the oil and fry till golden brown, about 5 minutes each.   Do not overcrowd. Immediately drain on a wire rack over a baking sheet.  Bring the oil back up to temperature and continue until all the spring rolls have been fried.

Serves 10

Gluten-free option: Replace springroll wrappers with rice paper wrappers for Step 4

1 lb package 8 inch round Vietnamese rice paper wrappers

3 Tablespoons sugar

4.     Line a baking sheet with a damp tea towel and have another damp towel ready to cover the rolls. Line a cutting board with a third damp towel.  Fill a large sauté pan with 2 inches of water. Add sugar, bring water to a boil, then turn heat to very low. Working with one sheet of rice paper at a time, dip half the disc into the hot water, holding one corner with your fingers or a pair of chopsticks. Let it sit for about 5 seconds. Quickly dip the other half and remove and spread out flat on lined cutting board.    Place about 2 Tablespoons of the filling on the bottom third of the rice paper.  Shape the filling into a cylinder, about 3-inches long.  Fold the left and right side over the filling. Holding the sides in place, fold the bottom flap up and roll the roll up into a tight cylinder.  Lay the rolls flap side down on the moistened towel and cover with another moist towel. Patch any broken areas with small pieces of soaked, rice paper.  Repeat folding the remaining rolls.

THAI SWEET & SOUR DIPPING SAUCE

1/2 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons Sriracha
2 Tablespoons fish sauce

1 Tablespoon ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced

To make dipping sauce, place water, sugar, vinegar, and Sri Racha and fish sauce in a small saucepan. Heat over high heat until mixture boils, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling until sauce is reduced by half, about 8 to 10 minutes, and the sauce has thickened to maple syrup consistency.   Stir in the ginger and garlic.  Cool.

Tags: springrolls, street foods, Thai.

We had the sequel to a dim sum class last week at Sur La Table, perhaps the finale of the dim sum classes since Sur La Table is closing its cooking school in San Francisco with their move to the glitzy mall in May.  We will miss the quaint Maiden Lane location, and even more the cooking classes and smell of food while you shop.  I believe, if you look at marketing psychology, the good food smell must have increased sales uptake.  I will continue my Asian classes at the Cooking School at Cavallo Point starting May.  Please join me there.  It’s just across the GG Bridge and they have a spectacular kitchen and awesome views of the city.

Anyhoos, during the class, we made the non-steam items….you know, the items that the restaurant really tries to push the sale because these items can be made in advance, and hence help the restaurant keep peak demand at bay.   We baked, steamed, pan fried.  BBQ Pork buns are really one of my favorite snacks.  The pastry is also a yeast dough pastry, but a tad richer with the addition of milk and butter.  The bun recipe is from my sister, and she entitled it – Delicious White Bread.  Sort of an oxymoron.

Chef’s tip: If you are looking for  other steam items, I have many dim sum recipes on this site, too, including the steamed BBQ Pork bun.  Also, when you are proofing the dough, a good way to test for readiness is the finger test.  When it doesn’t spring back, it’s ready.  Look at the steamed BBQ Pork bun recipe for details on this test.  This recipe makes 24 buns which is just right as they freeze really well.  To reheat, just pop them into the microwave under defrost.

BAKED BBQ PORK BUNS – DOUGH

1/4  cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 Tablespoon instant yeast
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 ½ cups bread flour

Part 1: Prepare the dough

1.     Proofing the yeast: Dissolve sugar in hot water.  Add cold water to make a warm solution (105 – 115°F).  Dissolve the yeast in the sugar solution.  Stir lightly, and let stand in a warm place until mixture develops a creamy foam, about 7 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
2.     Making the sponge: In a large bowl, add 1 ½ cups of flour to the yeast mixture and stir to incorporate the flour. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for 30 minutes or until bubbles are breaking on the surface and the sponge begin to fall.
3.     In another bowl, combine the melted butter with the milk and salt.  Warm the mixture till luke warm about 90°F. Pour mixture into the sponge when 30 minutes is up, mixing well with a wooden spoon.
4.     Next, add remaining 4½ cups of flour, a cup at a time until dough holds together and just come away from side of bowl.
5.     Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead.  Lightly flour your hands if necessary.  Knead (by using the heels of your hands and your body weight to push away from you, pull it back and fold in the sides of the dough towards the center.  Turn the dough right angle every few kneads) until dough is smooth, soft, and elastic, about 10 minutes. Dough should be slightly sticky. Form into a ball.
6.     Transfer dough to a very lightly oiled bowl.  Cover the bowl tightly with a plastic wrap/damp tea cloth and let dough rise in a warm (75-80°F), draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.  The dough is ready when it does not spring back when poked with a finger.

Part 2: Finishing the dough – Using the dough
7.     Uncover the dough, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
8.     Knead lightly to form a ball.  Divide the dough into 4 cylinders about 2 inch thick.  Cut each into 6.  Make 24 2-inch ball portions.  Cover dough with a damp tea cloth as you work.
9.     Proceed with dumpling recipes.

BAKED BBQ PORK BUNS – FILLING

Sauce:

2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
3 Tablespoons Chinese rice wine / sherry
5 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water

1 1/4 lb BBQ pork (char siu), diced small ¼ inch cubes
1/2 cup dried onion flakes soaked in ¼ cup of water
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds, roasted

24 pieces of 2 x 2 parchment paper

1 egg, beaten with 1 Tablespoon water

3 Tablespoons honey, warmed with 2 Tablespoons water

Preheat oven 400°F

Preparing the filling
1.     Mix all the sauce ingredients (oyster sauce, hoisin, soy, sesame oil, wine, sugar, cornstarch and water) together in a bowl.  Heat he mixture in a saucepan. Stir till slightly thickened.
2.     Add the diced pork to the saucepan.  Cook on low until the sauce glazes the pork.  Add the reconstituted dried onion and sesame seeds and toss together to mix.  Let the filling cool before proceeding.
Assembling
3.     Take a dough portion, work into a round ball about 2- inch in diameter.  Flatten it into a 5-inch round with a rolling pin about 3/8 inch thick. Make sure the edges are half as thin as the center.
4.     Place a heaping Tablespoon of filling into dough.  Pull the sides to meet at the center, making a ruffled fold as you work.  Pinch the top together and give it a twist to seal.  Pinch off any extra dough at the top.  Place upside down onto a piece of waxed paper and place the finished bun on a baking sheet.  Cover the filled buns loosely with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and let it rise 15-20 minutes or until it doubles in size.
5.     Preheat oven 400°F.
6.     Brush the top of the bun with the eggwash.  Transfer to the oven and bake at 400°F for 10 mins, reduce heat to 375°F and bake another 20 minutes.
7.     Remove from oven and brush with the honey glaze.

Serves: 24 buns

Tags: dim sum, street foods.