Pan-Chinese — spring rolls are associated with the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year); the name means 'spring roll'
Chun juan: spring rolls of the Chinese New Year — thin wheat-starch or rice paper wrappers filled with stir-fried vegetables and pork/shrimp, then deep-fried until golden. The wrapper must be thinner than the Vietnamese rice paper version; the filling must be dry (excess moisture causes wrapper burst during frying); the roll must be tight.
Crispy golden shell, savoury pork-and-vegetable filling, with sweet chili or plum sauce dipping
{"Filling must be cooled completely before rolling — warm filling creates steam that ruptures wrappers","Filling must be squeezed of excess moisture before use — press through a sieve or cloth","Seal with egg white wash — cornstarch paste is also used","Fry at 180°C: temperature must be maintained; dropping it results in oil-soaked rolls"}
{"Dry-fry the filling briefly before cooling to drive off excess water","For Shanghainese spring rolls: pork and bamboo shoot filling is traditional","For Cantonese spring rolls: add oyster sauce and sesame oil to filling for extra flavour"}
{"Wet filling — steam inside ruptures the wrapper mid-fry","Loose rolling — oil seeps in and the roll falls apart","Low oil temperature — wrapper absorbs oil before crisping"}
Every Grain of Rice — Fuchsia Dunlop