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RSS FeedThis will be my last post before MR get’s back home, but it’s been a lot of fun and certainly won’t be the last time, so let me know what you’d like to see in the future.
I’ll try to answer any dangling questions left from the week and am leaving you with a weekend project. Watch the video, read the recipe below, call some friends, and have a Spring Roll Party. These go well with every thing from Green Tea to Martinis, and they’re addictive, so plan on at least four per person.
Thanks again to MR and all of you. Have fun – MP
BBQ PORK AND SHRIMP SPRING ROLLS
Yield: 25 rolls
[table id=3 /]
Mise en Place
1. Poach, shock, peel and devein shrimp, chop into chunks
2. Prepare other filling ingredients as described above
3. Make seasoning mixture
4. Combine filling ingredients with seasoning mixture
Assembly
1. See accompanying demonstration for assembly
Frying
1. Heat oil in pan deep enough to accommodate 2-3 times the volume of oil until 350F and cover rolls by at least 1”.
2. Drop several rolls at a time in to hot oil and cook for 2-3 minutes, turning with a metal spoon or spatula to ensure even browning.
3. When rolls are golden brown and crisp, remove from oil and drain on absorbent paper towels to remove excess oil. Serve immediately with dipping sauce of your choice.
Thanks again for sharing your time and knowledge with us, Chef Pardus.
The spring roll video reminded me of learning how to fold won ton (granddad would have two or three of the grandchildren do the assembly-line end of things while he fried them … collapsing time-consuming labor and time at the wok in half).
Which leads to the question … is the reason that most Chinese restaurants selling ‘fried won ton’ as an appetizer serving up a plate of wrappers and not actual won ton … a simple economics issue (time/cost to produce v. return), or is there some other trend at work here?
Admittedly, fried won ton are like potato chips. MacArthur Park in SF once put them on the menu (smoked chicken & cilantro), and they would constantly run out. They finally went OFF the menu.
Chef without a doubt I have thoroughly enjoyed this past week getting to know you and your recipes and techniques and thank you for all the effort you put into these posts, for us, the readers.
I certainly would love to see more and more; it was like watching a PBS show.
The owners of Fay Wong, the chinese restaurant near me, would also like to thank you for this week of increased deliveries…
MP- Thanks for all the technique that you have shared this week. I am looking forward to more free education.
Thank you chef, couldn’t wait to see what you’d do next. Your spring roll wraps look like a Hollywood version of my eggroll wraps I buy at the supermarket.
Question # who makes them and what are they called?
I have vietnamesse Banh Trang wrapers that I need to immerse in warm water to make them plyable. They come stiff as a board…Tapioca Rice flour and salt water.. ingred..
Of course they get wet and I roll my spring rolls in these things. Then I spray the heck out of them will olive oil and place in a 350 oven to finish.
But…. I really think I am either not doing it right or I am again missing something here????
Question #2
What am I doing wrong? these things are so delicate they split when I turn my back….
This is been a really great segment and I want you to know I have appreciated it so much…. thanks to Michael… there is a reason I read his blog you know…
Thank you for that “fold in with thumb” tip–that explains it all! I’ve rolled eggrolls & such with Mrs. Li above her Asian Market grocery store many times, but I’ve never managed to consistently get even sides. I’d make them properly most of the time, but it was more like the occasional “will of the gods” thing than any skill on my part. Mrs. Li would always look over and cluck her tongue at those with the funky-gonna-burst sides. Now I’ll show her–no more clucking at me! =D
Thank god for the internet. Seriously, I live in the middle of nowhere and if it weren’t for the internet and you amazing, talented chefs who are good enough to spend some time sharing your knowledge with us, my family would still be eating Campbell’s cream of chicken soup casseroles and the nasty biscuits out of the can. Now I’m baking bread, curing bacon, and very seriously contemplating how to coordinate a spring roll party.
You rock Pardus! Thanks for the videos.
Chef Pardus: Thank You, again!
It is no secret, by now, my respect and gratitude for you and your teachings.
I cook European Food for a living but you can bet I will do my homework and make Spring Rolls this week on my day off (assuming I will get one).
What I loved about your posts were the teachings that we cook with ALL of our senses – smell, touch, hearing, sight, and taste. PLUS, the sixth sense of intuition or “feel”.
People get dumbed down by the media and want to know “how long and at what temperature” to cook things.
Thanks to your teachings, I cannot hear what the person next to me is saying (I guess by choice) but I can tell you when the water is boiling at the perfect temperature for pasta, just by listening to it from 200 or so yards away. If in doubt, we have the “ouch, hot water technique”. I could go on.
You know what I mean.
I will leave the eloquent writing to MR.
Chef; Thank You!
Rhonda
xxx
@luis:
The reason you’re having such trouble with baking your banh trang is that you aren’t supposed to fry them. Rehydrate, fill, roll, eat. On menus, this type of roll is sometimes sold as “salad rolls”, since they are served fresh and cold.
Thank you Chef Pardus! Hope to see you again.
Chef, I too have enjoyed the videos and your commentaries. They get me fired up to get in the kitchen and try some new things. Thanks for stepping in; I look forward to seeing more in the future. Thanks!
Graeme, GB Thank you. Bravo! If that is the case I will hydrate them with fish stock and rice wine vinegar and fill them with “OUCH that’s HOT” shrimp and microgreens. Serve them with some suitable sauce.
At my local chinese market there are dozens of different spring roll wrappers. I will continue my quest to find one that rolls like chef Pardus and that will come out of the oven golden brown and crispy.
I often make the cold fresh version with rice paper because it is less effort, but I see now that I have been doing it wrong – the burrito version that comes apart in the oil. You made it look so easy I’ll try it again and be able to have great asian food wherever I can make my own. Merci beau coup!
@Luis:
Deep fry or pan fry those Bahn Trang wrapped rolls immediately after re-hydration (do not bake). They are phenomenal. It’s a shame that almost no one in the U.S. does spring rolls this way.
Another great video Chef! Thank you for filling in for Michael while he’s been away. I look forward to seeing more videos from you.
Dave
I have Vietnamese Salad Roll Demo already shot, I’ll have MR post it when he’s had a day or two to catch up. The rice paper wrappers are much easier and forgiving to use if you layer them, while dry, between moist towels to rehydrate. You’ll see what I mean in the Demo. From what I’ve seen in the street stalls of Vietnam, the fried ones are usually very small, about the size of your thumb, filled with mixture of ground pork and “rice stick” noodles (very thin rice noodles sometimes labeled “Rice Vermicelli” in the US).
The ones I used for the Spring Roll Demo yesterday would be labeled “Chinese Spring Roll wrappers” or something like that in the grocery store. They are made of wheat flour and water, are pale yellow/ivory and pliable when they come out to the pack.
Bob, As far as I know, a “won ton” is a bite sized dumpling filled with fish, meat, tofu, or veg wrapped in a wheat flour based wrapper – like a ravioli. It can be poached and served as a soup garnish, steamed or fried and served as dim sum or “appetizer” . If you are running a restaurant and selling out of an inexpensive item with no labor cost attached, you’d be silly not to sell it. All cultures like fried crunchy things.
Chef Pardus, thank you so much for joining us this week! Please come back anytime…
I’ve already made pizzas with your method, having tried and failed “throwing” before, and I felt emboldened by your video. =) We enjoyed the crust so much more this week and throwing is fun! Imma try your spring rolls, so thank you thank you! =)
Michael, please go away again soon so Chef P. will come back!
Chef Pardus, I had no idea that you were here this week. I will go back and read the other posts now. I’ve read a lot about you in MR’s books.
Have learned a lot from Chef Pardus. Wish I had the opportunity to go to C.I.A.
Michael Ruhlman, missed you and Donna.
Thank you, Chef Pardus!
jbl , I will give that a shot as well. Lord knows I have a large stash of that stuff around my pantry. Just waiting for me to figure out what I should do with it.
Gosh I think Mr and chef Pardus are solid…..
Chef Pardus, thank you for the educational and really fun videos. I really loved the tip about holding the edge with the thumb to get a good fold. I never knew that!
I have a request for a video, although it may seem a little silly. How do you stir-fry/saute and do that cool toss and the ingredients all suspend in the air and then land perfectly back in the wok? Is there a trick to that? I’m pretty sure the last time I attempted that, my omelet broke and I half of it was all over the stove haha
Sophia, how do you get to Carnegie Hall?…practice.
In this case, it’s easier than the violin. Take a clean, room temp saute pan, put a cup or two of dried beans in it, go outside and practice – outside because the squirels will clean up for you if you miss!.
The motion is hard to describe, but see if this makes sense:
Circular, clockwise motion starting at 6 o’clock, moving forward and up . At 9 o’clock give the pan an upward flick with your wrist, tossing the beans a few inches into the air.Follow through quickly up to 12 o’clock and down back to 6 o’clock position to catch the beans. Watch my motion in the video a few times, practice the motion with an empty pan, then move up to dry beans, then try something hot but solid – like a hamburger patty. Soon, you’ll be knocking out “eggs over easy” like a pro line jockey.
Good luck
Thank you, Chef! This was a fabulous week of posts and reminded me why I miss Culinary school so much. Not all that pot washing at the end but the learning. We make spring rolls on a regular basis around here and have filled them with everything from corned beef and sauerkraut w/cheese to bananas, caramel and chocolate chips. I can’t wait to try the bbq pork version. We are blessed in Cleveland to have many Asian markets on both sides of town. And equally blessed to have Michael who shares his space on occasion with such talented people. Thank you!
Chef
Thank you for highlighting Mise en Place. With that one written addition, the recipe process becomes logical and easier to prepare. I wish your outline of writing down a recipe for others to use were the accepted convention.
Thank you, Chef. These videos take me back to my own culinary training (not CIA–I wish!) and the learning of the tiny god-is-in-the-details details. Those details are what make the difference between a good amateur and a real professional. Hope we’ll see more of you and your videos.
I made eggrolls tonite and divided my filling to make spring rolls and monkey around with Bahn Trang wrappers. I basically used everything I had on hand including Grape seed oil from Spectrum good to 425.
Used very little oil by deep frier standards. Used a cast iron wok and did two at a time. You know you got it going on when you can eat the filling with a spoon. This will only get better with practice. I prefer this method because it doesn’t waste oil and because these things tend to want to float a particular way and it drives me nuts to get them done all the way around.
I had no problem getting the oil up to 400deg but there is one thing.
Using the thermo pen I.
It seems the longer I keep the thermopen in the oil the higher the temp. This I am beggining to think is my bad technique. I order to get a true read of the temp with a thermo pen, how long should the probing last?
Of course if I don’t have that sizzle then it ain’t happening temerature wise.
And I can tell when something fries a bit faster than it should too. Ouch way too hot. Even though the grapeseed oil never smoked even a little.
Anyway I just got home and first thing out of the kitchen there is the most delicious hint of something wonderful still in the air. Also the benefit of using a wok is you don’t get the mist of oil everywhere I get when using a frying pan that chef Pardus was reffeering too.
Thanks for posting this recipe. i’m not used to cooking oriental food but this recipe was pretty easy to do. I think it could work with lamb with a bit of tweaking.
Chef Pardus, perhaps just one more? Before le monsieur returns to his post.
I tried this redipe today but was quite tricky. It was however very ver nice and thanks so much for it
I love reading your recipes. They are so appealing.
Ian
WorldGroceries.co.uk
@Ian:
What did you find tricky? I’m probably going to try this recipe this weekend.
I have always wanted to get into CIA, it is just far from my country
finally got a glimpse of Chef Pardus lolz! btw chef, can you make a video on how to make some demi-glace in the future?
Thank you Chef Pardus