Homemade Spring Rolls

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Wrapping Dough

1. 1
   Thaw the spring roll wrappers in the fridge overnight, until pliable but still cold.

   Refrigerator

   💡Work with store-bought dough while it's cold: warm puff pastry gets sticky and won't puff in the oven, and phyllo sheets dry out fast, so keep the waiting sheets covered with a damp towel.

For the Pastry Filling

1. 2
   Heat a large pan over high heat.

   ⚙ Greased Flat PanStoveFrying pan
2. 3
   Add the ground meat, garlic and ginger and fry 5 minutes, breaking it up, until the meat changes color.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 4
   Add the cabbage, carrot and sprouts and fry 3 minutes, tossing, until slightly softened.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡The vegetables go in for just a few minutes: they should soften slightly and stay crisp, since they keep cooking inside the roll as it fries.
4. 5
   Add the soy sauce, sesame oil and black pepper, stir and let cool completely.

   Stove

   💡Roll only with completely cooled filling: warm filling softens the wrappers, so they tear and soak up oil.

To assemble

1. 6
   Lay a pastry sheet with one corner facing you, like a diamond, and place a spoonful of cooled filling in the bottom third.
2. 7
   Fold the bottom corner over the filling, fold in the sides and roll tightly to the end. Seal the tip with a little water.

   💡Roll tightly and fold in the sides before rolling: a loose roll opens in the oil and fills with it.
3. 8
   Heat the oil in a deep pot to 180°C (355°F) and Fry 3–4 minutes, until the pastries are golden and crisp.

   ⚙ Deep-fryingStoveSlotted spoonCandy/oil thermometerDeep pot for frying

   💡Keep the oil at 170–180°C (340–355°F): too cold, and the food soaks up oil; too hot, and it browns outside before the inside cooks. Without a thermometer, dip the tip of a wooden spoon in the oil: when medium bubbles form around it right away, the oil is hot enough.

   💡Don't overload the oil: every piece that goes in cools it down. Fry one piece as a test, then the rest in several batches, and transfer to paper towels.
4. 9
   Drain on paper towels and serve hot with the dipping sauce.