Egg/Spring Rolls 

Note:  This information may help you distinguish between an egg roll, a spring roll, or a dumpling, or it may confuse you even more.  You can cherry-pick among the ingredients and cooking mode in the following recipes and still get good results.   This cook is still

Ying Chang Compestine (Secrets of Fat-Free Chinese Cooking), prefers steaming  to deep-frying wheat, or lumpia, wrappers.  Wrappers made with rice flour are baked.  She describes dumpling wrappers as labeled Shanghai or gyoza and could be either square or circular. They vary in thickness. Epicurious.Com says wrappers should be thin and crispy when cooked. 

A Harrowsmith Magazine (1988) article describes spring roll wrappers as thinner than egg rolls and suggests baking to achieve results similar to frying. The article also suggests trying phyllo dough or biscuit dough as a wrapper.

Whatever your preference, serve with Nuoc Cham dipping sauce. See Strudel Dough for more ideas on fillings. See Cooking Egg Rolls for instructions on cooking methods.

1. Spring Rolls, Harry and Quindy Moritz

Note:  This recipe was supplied by a work colleague many years ago.  The Moritzes preferred bean curds and ground meat to other cabbage-filled recipes. 

Ingredients:
1 Lb Ground Pork (or Chicken/Turkey) [Pork is definitely best!]
1 1/2 t Salt
1 t Ground Black Pepper
1 t Accent (MSG) (Optional) [Use it if you can!]
1 cp Finely Chopped Green Onion
4 Oz Dry Bean Curd Threads
1 lb Bean Sprouts
4 Eggs
8 oz can of Sliced Mushroom Pieces
1 pkg. Lumpia Brand Egg Roll Wrappers
32 Oz Crisco Brand Cooking Oil

1. Soak the bean threads in warm water until soft, drain, then cut into 1 inch segments.
2. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT bean sprouts in a large mixing bowl. Knead mixture until well mixed. Then, add bean sprouts and knead again until well mixed.
3. Separate egg roll wrappers, and roll about 2 heaping tablespoons of mixture into each wrapper. Lesser filling makes for thinner rolls, but we prefer the plumper ones.
4. Fry the spring rolls in medium-hot oil (350-375 degrees), covering about half the depth of the rolls with oil, turning occasionally, until nicely browned and crispy.
5. Remove from fry-pan with tongs and set out to drip dry in a colander lined with papertowels.
6. Serve piping hot, with a dipping sauce, if preferred.
7. Makes 25 to 30 spring rolls, depending on the amount of mixture added to each wrapper. Recipe can be up-sized indefinitely.

2. Thai Spring Rolls, Washington Post
Makes about 12 spring rolls

2 oz cellophane noodles, snipped or broken
2 T peanut oil
1" cube ginger root, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb ground pork
8 cps shredded cabbage
2 carrots, finely shredded
3 scallions, including some green parts, chopped
1 T chopped fresh cilantro
2 T fish sauce
spring-roll (lumpia) wrappers

1. Cover cellophane noodles with hot water and allow to soak for about 15 minutes. Drain in colander.
2. Heat oil in large skillet or wok. Add ginger, garlic, and pork, and stir-fry, breaking up port with spoon, just until it loses its pink color, about 4 minutes.
3. Remove from skillet with slotted spoon and add to bean threads in the colander. Squeeze out any moisture.
4. Add cabbage to the skillet and stir-fry til limp, about 2 minutes. Add to the colander and allow to drain for a few minutes.
5. In large bowl, combine colander mixture with carrots, scallions, cilantro and fish sauce. Mix well.
6. Fill spring-roll wrappers, and bake as directed.

3. Vegetable Dumplings
Makes about 3 dozen.

Note: Ying Chang Compestine's recipe for Vegetable Spring Rolls (Secrets of Fat-Free Chinese Cooking) broils them, using rice wrappers and a filling of bean sprouts, green peppers, Napa cabbage, bamboo shoots, cilantro and spices.

Dumpling filling:
4 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 ounce dried rice noodles
1/2 pound Napa cabbage
1/2 pound baby bok choy
2 ounces dried bean curd*
3 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Pinch of grated fresh ginger
1 ounce monosodium glutamate (optional)

1 packet of frozen dumpling wrappers* OR

Dumpling wrappers:
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup cold water

small bowl of water

Dipping sauce:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar*
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Pinch of white pepper
Chinese hot pepper sauce* (optional)

* Available at specialty Asian markets

To make the vegetable filling:
In small bowl, combine mushrooms with boiling water to cover. Let sit 30 minutes to soften. Drain; remove tough stems and finely dice caps. Set aside.

In small bowl, combine noodles with boiling water to cover. Let sit 10 minutes to soften. Drain; finely dice. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add the cabbage; blanch until just wilted. Using a slotted spoon, remove cabbage to strainer set over a large bowl. Press down on cabbage to squeeze out all liquid. Transfer to cutting board; roughly dice. Using the same pot of boiling water, repeat the process with the bok choy. Place all chopped vegetables in large bowl.

Finely dice the dried bean curd; add to vegetable mixture.

Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, and monosodium glutamate (optional) to the vegetable mixture. Stir in chopped mushrooms and noodles until completely incorporated.

To make the wrappers:
Place the flour and salt in a large bowl. Slowly add water and mix with your hands. Knead the mixture until it forms a soft dough.

Place the dough on a lightly floured counter and knead until very smooth. Divide dough into 50 small, equal pieces. Flatten each piece with your hand to form a thin, round pancake, approximately 3 inches in diameter. The center should be slightly thicker than the edges.

To wrap the dumplings: (See step-by-step photo tutorial)
Using a spoon or chopsticks, place one heaping tablespoon of dumpling filling in the center of the dumpling wrapper.

Using your fingertip, wet the outer edge of the dumpling wrapper with water. Fold up the sides of the dumpling into a half-moon shape.

While holding the dumpling lengthwise, curved side up, use your index finger and thumb to pinch the edges of the dough on one side of the dumpling into "pleats," pressing each pleat against the flat side of the dough to seal the dumpling as you go. Start at one corner of the dumpling and work your way to the center (making three to four "pleats"). Then work from the other corner to the center creating another three to four "pleats."

Firmly press the pleated side of the wrapper against the flat side to be sure the dumpling is completely sealed. If there is too much filling and the dumpling cannot be sealed, remove the extra filling to prevent leakage during cooking.

Line up the finished dumplings on a foil-lined cookie sheet to prevent them from sticking. You can freeze dumplings this way for up to one month.

To cook:
To cook the dumplings, gently lower them into a medium pot of boiling water and boil for approximately three to five minutes. They are done when the dumpling skins are translucent and the dumplings have been floating for about three minutes. Remove from pot carefully with a slotted spoon.

Serve hot.

For dipping sauce:
In small serving bowl, combine all ingredients. Serve with dumplings.