Michael Tong introduced spicy, regional Chinese cuisine to the U.S. in the 1960s through his popular Shun Lee restaurants. The Shun Lee Cookbook: Recipes from a Chinese Restaurant Dynasty adapts many of the restaurants’ most popular recipes—including this one for spring rolls—for use in home kitchens.
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Ingredients:
3 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 x 1/4-inch strips
1/2 large egg white (beat a whole egg white until foamy and measure out half)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 cups canned chicken broth or water
1 pound fresh bean sprouts
1/3 cup canned bamboo shoots, thin inch-long slices
4 Chinese dried black mushrooms, soaked until soft, trimmed, and cut into thin 1-1/2-inch-long strips
1/2 carrot, cut into inch-long strips
1 teaspoon salt
3 ounces medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and finely chopped
1 bunch fresh chives, cut into 1-1/2-inch lengths
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
Pinch of ground white pepper
Vegetable oil
1 large egg
12 spring roll wrappers
Chinese plum sauce and Chinese mustard, optional
Directions:
Mix chicken, egg white, and cornstarch in bowl and set aside. Bring stock to boil in wok over high heat. Add bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, carrot, and salt. Cook over high heat for two minutes. Add shrimp and chives, and cook for another minute, and drain. Transfer to a clean cloth kitchen towel, and twist the cloth hard to squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Transfer filling to a medium bowl, and add sesame oil and a pinch of white pepper. Clean the wok.
Heat the wok over high heat. Add oil one-inch deep, and heat to 300°F (149°C). Add chicken and stir gently to keep pieces from sticking together. When they turn white (about 45 seconds), transfer chicken to filling using a wire-mesh strainer. Cover the mixture and place in freezer for ten minutes for easier handling. Discard oil. Clean and dry wok.
Beat whole egg until frothy. Place a spring roll wrapper on a cutting board with one corner facing you. Place a heaping tablespoon full of the filling on the bottom third of the wrapper, and spread it out horizontally so that the filling is two-and-a-half-inches wide. Roll the bottom point of the wrapper over the mixture, fold the sides in, brush some egg over the top point, and finish rolling the wrapper bottom to top. Set on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wrappers.
Heat wok over high heat, add two inches of oil, and heat to 350°F (177°C). Deep-fry spring rolls, working in batches. Turn once and remove when golden brown, about two to three minutes. Place on paper towels to drain. Cut each roll in half diagonally and serve immediately, with plum sauce and mustard for dipping.
Servings: Serves four to six.
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