PORK & SHRIMP SPRING ROLLS

  Ingredients (Serves 4) 

• ½ lb of peeled shrimp, washed and chopped into small pieces 
• 1 lb of lean ground pork 
• ½ cup of dried, shredded auricularia mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 min., rinsed, drained, and chopped into small pieces 
• 2 serving sizes of vermicelli (1.76 oz or 50 g), soaked in warm water for 30 min., rinsed, drained, and sliced into 1-inch pieces 
• 1½ bag (50 sheets, 250 g/8.8 oz) of TYJ Spring Roll Pastry 
• 2 medium onions, thinly diced 
• 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 
• 4 shallots, finely chopped 
• 1 teaspoon of sugar 
• ½ teaspoon of fine ground black pepper 
• 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce 
• 1 tablespoon of fish sauce 
• 1 teaspoon of chicken soup base mix 
• 3 eggs 
• 4 cups of vegetable oil

Procedures

1. In a big salad bowl, using a spatula or hands, finely mix all ingredients together (except 1 egg and oil) into a mixed meat topping. Refrigerate for an hour. 
2. When you feel the topping start to bind together, then it is ready. Then, get one sheet of TYJ spring roll pastry, putting it on a large plate, and add one teaspoon of mixed meat topping on the sheet. Fold the bottom of the pastry up and over the topping and gently press down. Fold two sides of the sheet and roll it. Continue rolling the spring roll forward towards the end of the pastry. Wet the end of the roll with egg to seal it (break 1 egg into a small bowl to use as sealant). Roll one by one until you finish all the sheets. Make sure to put the rolls on a flat plate. 
3. Turn on stove to medium heat and then heat 4 cups of oil in a deep frying pot. Drop the rolls into the hot oil and deep-fry them until golden (25 rolls at a time). Stir the rolls often so that they are cooked evenly. Drain the golden spring rolls onto a rack.
4. Transfer the rolls onto a large dish and serve. They taste best when they are still hot. You can eat the rolls with or without sauce. The simplest sauce can be a mixture of Asian chili sauce with hoisin sauce. Add a bit of fresh-squeezed lime juice to the sauce (taste to your liking) and serve.