Cantonese Style Spring Rolls

PORK AND MARINADE:--
250 g pork mince
½ tsp SIDS SALT & PEPPER
½ tsp sesame oil
1 tsp Shaoxing wine
½ tsp cornflour
FILLING:--
2 tbsp rice bran oil
1 clove garlic, minced
10 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked & sliced
2 carrots, julienned
1 cup bamboo shoots, julienned
1 small cabbage, julienned
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
SIDS SALT & PEPPER to taste
¼ tsp sugar
2 tbsp cornflour, dissolved in 2 tbsp cold water
WRAPPING:--
1 pkt 2 cm square spring roll wrappers
1 tbsp cornflour, dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water for sealing
Rice bran oil, for frying
DIPPING SAUCE:--
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp hot water
1 tsp SIDS HOT WORCESTER SAUCE
1 tbsp soy sauce

Mix the pork with the marinade ingredients and set aside for about 30 minutes. Cut all of the vegetables to approximately the same size. You want everything the same size so each ingredient blends together.
Brown the pork over high heat in 2 tablespoons of oil and add the garlic, mushrooms and carrots. Stir fry for 30 seconds, add the bamboo shoots, cabbage and Shaoxing wine. Continue stir-frying for a minute. Adjust the heat to simmer the mixture, as the cabbage will release a lot of moisture.
Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, SIDS SALT & PEPPER and sugar. At this time, you have the option of adding ¼ cup of the decanted water from soaking the dried mushrooms. It strengthens the mushroom flavour, so this is purely according to your personal preference. You may also have to simmer the filling longer to reduce the additional liquid.
Continue simmering the filling for another 3 minutes, until the cabbage is completely wilted and stir in the cornflour slurry to thicken. How much slurry you add depends upon the wetness of the filling, (this varies if your cabbage had more moisture or if you did add the optional mushroom water) but there should be no standing liquid at all.
Transfer the filling to a large shallow bowl and let cool. Place into the refrigerator to cool further, at least one hour. It’s best to start with a cold filling for easier wrapping. The key to wrapping spring rolls is making sure that they’re tight, yet not overstuffed. It's best to use fresh spring roll wrappers if you can, as freezing the wrappers can result in the spring roll skin being a bit too damp.
Place the wrapper on a flat surface so that a corner is facing toward you. Use about two spoonfuls of the mixture per spring roll, and spoon it about 5 cm from the corner that is closest to you. Roll it over once, and, like you’re making a burrito, fold over both sides. Continue rolling it into a cigar shape. With your fingers, brush a bit of the cornflour water onto the corner of the wrapper that is farthest from you to seal it.
In case you’re wondering, we did try egg wash instead of the cornflour mixture to seal the spring roll but the egg wash "stains" the spring roll, so it's best to use the cornflour mixture.
Place each roll on a tray. This recipe makes about 18-20 spring rolls. You can also freeze these spring rolls on the tray overnight and transfer them to a zip-lock bag when they are completely frozen for future use. We usually fry some fresh and freeze the rest, unless we are hosting a party, in which case, these go like hot cakes!
To fry the spring rolls, fill a small pot (which requires less oil) with oil until it’s 5-8 cm deep. Heat the oil slowly over medium heat until it reaches 160˚C. Gently add the spring rolls one at a time, frying in small batches. Carefully roll them in the oil so they cook evenly until golden brown and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels.
Prepare the dipping sauce by adding SIDS HOT WORCESTER SAUCE and all ingredients to a small saucepan. Mix and heat until just simmering and pour into a ramekin. Serve the spring rolls hot with the dipping sauce.