Chun Guen
廣式春卷·(chun guen)
Chapter 3: The Pan-Fried, Deep-Fried & Crispy
Pull a damp towel over the stack of wrappers. We are doing this the hard way—wiping a highly hydrated, elastic dough onto a hot pan by hand to create paper-thin wrappers that will blister and shatter, a far cry from the cabbage-stuffed, grease-logged egg rolls of the suburban takeout joint. Inside goes a tightly bound, meticulously cooked matrix of shredded char siu, julienned pork, shrimp, and the unmistakable hit of yellow chives, ready for you to bring the peanut oil to a steady 350°F, slide the cylinders in, and keep your wire spider skimmer ready.
Before you start
Prepare the sealing paste.
In a small bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour with two tablespoons of water until it forms a thick glue.
Ingredients
- bread flour300 g
- fine sea salt2 g
- filtered water260 ml
- lean pork loin150 g
- fresh shrimp100 g
- light soy sauce2 tsp
- sugar1 tsp
- white pepper1/4 tsp
- cornstarch4 tsp
- vegetable oil1 tsp
- dried shiitake mushrooms5 large
- canned bamboo shoots100 g
- carrots100 g
- cabbage150 g
- yellow chives50 g
- garlic2 small clove
- shallot1 med
- oyster sauce1 tbsp
- Shaoxing wine2 tbsp
- sesame oil1 tsp
- neutral oil1 qt
- all-purpose flour2 tbsp
- water1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Mix the high-hydration wrapper dough.
Whisk the bread flour and salt together, then pour in 240 ml of the filtered water, stirring vigorously with thick chopsticks in one continuous direction until a sticky, shaggy paste forms.
- 02
Develop the gluten and cold ferment the dough.
With wet hands, repeatedly slap and fold the dough against the bowl for 15 minutes until it transforms into a smooth, incredibly elastic mass. Pour the remaining 20 ml of water over the top to prevent a crust, cover tightly, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
- 03
Marinate the julienned pork and diced shrimp.
Toss the proteins with one teaspoon of the light soy sauce, half a teaspoon of the sugar, the white pepper, one teaspoon of cornstarch, and the vegetable oil, letting the mixture sit for 20 minutes.
- 04
Sear the meats and sweat the aromatics.
Flash-fry the pork and shrimp in a blazing hot wok with a splash of neutral oil until just cooked through, remove them, then add the minced garlic and sliced shallot to the wok and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
- 05
Stir-fry the vegetables and recombine the filling.
Toss in the shiitakes, bamboo shoots, carrots, and cabbage, cooking until the cabbage shrinks. Return the meats to the wok, deglaze the perimeter with the Shaoxing wine, and stir in the oyster sauce, remaining soy sauce, remaining sugar, and a pinch of salt.
- 06
Bind the filling with a starch slurry and chill it completely.
Push the ingredients aside, pour a slurry made from the remaining tablespoon of cornstarch and two tablespoons of water into the center to thicken, then toss everything until heavily glazed and dry. Fold in the yellow chives and sesame oil off the heat, then spread the mixture flat on a wide sheet pan and refrigerate until entirely cold.
- 07
Wipe the wrappers onto a hot pan by hand.
Heat a dry, flat skillet to 230°F, grasp a tennis-ball-sized handful of the rested dough, and swiftly smear it in a 6-inch circle against the hot metal. Pull your hand away instantly, wait 15 seconds for the opaque crepe to curl at the edges, and gently peel it off to stack under a damp towel.
- 08
Assemble and seal the spring rolls tightly.
Lay a wrapper flat, place two tablespoons of the chilled filling on the lower third, fold the bottom tightly over the mixture, fold the sides inward like an envelope, brush the top edge with the flour sealing paste, and roll it closed.
- 09
Perform the structural blanch fry.
Heat the quart of neutral oil to 325°F and fry the spring rolls in small batches for four minutes until structurally set and pale golden, then remove and drain them on a wire rack.
- 10
Execute the flash fry for a blistered finish.
Just before your guests sit down, raise the oil temperature to 350°F and plunge the blanched rolls back in for 60 seconds until they blister beautifully and turn a rich, shatteringly crisp brown.
Notes
Plan the weekend dim sum timeline.
To achieve the magic of cart service, prepare the dough and filling on Friday night. Wipe the wrappers and assemble the rolls on Saturday morning, blanch fry them before guests arrive, and execute the final flash fry right as the tea is poured.
From Cook Dim Sum at Home.