A Spring Roll in Winter

This one is made from

shredded pork
shredded cabbage
shredded egg sheets

Seeing a pattern now? Almost anything can go into a spring roll. Shredded scallions, celery, bean sprouts, soaked mung bean vermicelli, reconstituted Shiitake mushrooms, chopped shrimp, shredded tree ears, etc.

Main flavorings include soy sauce, sesame oil, and a bit of rice wine. Large pinches of salt and sugar round it out.

What I’m really puzzled about is how Chinese “fast food” restaurants continue to carry those soggy, thick-skinned spring rolls stuffed disgustingly full with peppery cabbage and hardly anything else, and call them spring rolls! They are anything but! And since spring roll wrappers are so easily found now, there really is no excuse. I have no idea why they persist in this practice. There’s no reason to: not the price, not availability, not ease of use. Is it because “the public” don’t know the difference and don’t demand a change? A frustrating thought.

Next time you go to a fast food Chinese place, perhaps you might want to do yourself and your fellow customers a favor: ask the owners if they would consider switching to REAL spring roll wrappers. They will be generously paid back in increased patronage and a better reputation for serving real Asian cuisine.

Hey, what do you guys dip your spring rolls in? My kids love theirs plain, or sometimes they’ll opt for a sweet sour sauce. I have to have my vinegar and garlic dip, emphasis on garlic. I’m Filipino after all.