日本風春巻

Japanese Spring Rolls

These crispy spring rolls made their way from China but the Japanese adapted them and they usually have more filling than the imported versions. Try experimenting with seasonal ingredients or swap pork for chicken or prawns (shrimp).

MAKES 12

DIPPING SAUCE

60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) tamari or Japanese soy sauce

1½ tablespoons Japanese rice vinegar

1 tablespoon mirin

1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar

FILLING

90 g (3¼ oz) Chinese cabbage (wong bok), finely shredded

3 dried shiitake mushrooms

30 g (1 oz) harusame (bean thread noodles)

200 g (7 oz) minced (ground) pork

90 g (3¼ oz) bamboo shoots, finely chopped

4 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, crushed

1½ tablespoons sake

1½ tablespoons Japanese soy sauce

1 tablespoon mirin

1 teaspoon sesame oil

large pinch of ground white pepper

2 tablespoons potato starch

1 tablespoon potato starch, extra

12 x 18 cm (7 in) spring roll wrappers

vegetable oil, for deep-frying

To make the dipping sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

To make the filling, put the cabbage in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and stand for 30 minutes, then squeeze well. Meanwhile, soak the shiitake in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain, discard the stems and thinly slice the caps. Soak the harusame in warm water for 10 minutes. Drain, squeeze out any excess moisture, then roughly chop. Put the cabbage, shiitake and noodles in a large bowl with the rest of the filling ingredients except the potato starch and mix well. Add the potato starch and mix again. Season with salt.

Combine the extra potato starch with enough cold water to form a thin paste. Lay a spring roll wrapper on a workbench with a corner facing you.

Put 1 heaped tablespoon of the filling in a sausage shape across the wrapper, about 2 cm (¾ in) up from the bottom corner. Fold the bottom corner up and roll up, folding the sides in as you go. Seal the edge with a little of the potato paste. Set aside and continue with the remaining wrappers and mixture.

Fill a deep-fat fryer or large saucepan one-third full of oil and heat to 170°C (325°F), or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil browns in 20 seconds. Fry the spring rolls a few at a time for 10 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in a low oven while you cook the rest. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.