Thai spring rolls – Po Piah

Ingredients for 35 servings:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 300 g lean minced pork
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 6 spring onions (Thai), chopped, white and green parts separated
• 2 small carrots, finely grated
• 100 g white cabbage, very finely chopped or:
• 100 g sprouts (mung bean sprouts), coarsely chopped
• 10 m.-sized mushrooms (tongu mushrooms, shitake, dried), soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
• 100 g glass noodles, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce, light
• 1 tsp sugar
• Black pepper, freshly ground
• 40 dough sheets for spring rolls, frozen
• 1 liter oil, for frying
• Salad (leaf or iceberg lettuce)
• Cucumber(s) and coriander
• 6 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp palm sugar, grated
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp shallot(s), Thai red, very finely diced
• 1 tbsp chili pepper(s), green and red, without seeds, cut into tiny cubes

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

especially good with the matching dipping sauce

Briefly fry the garlic and the white parts of the spring onions in oil, add the minced meat and fry until crumbly and lightly golden brown. Mix in the prepared vegetables and mushrooms and fry for a further 2-3 minutes. Stir in the seasoning sauces, pepper, and sugar and season to taste. Let cool slightly and stir in the glass noodles. Season the filling again. It should now be as dry as possible; if not, drain the liquid. Meanwhile, remove the pastry sheets from the package and cover with a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out during thawing. Place one pastry sheet at a time on the work surface with the point facing down. Place a heaped tablespoon of filling on the bottom third, fold the point of the sheet over the mixture to cover about one-third, press down firmly, and roll tightly once. Now fold both sides tightly towards the middle and roll up to the end. Mix 1 tablespoon of flour with a little water until a paste forms. Place a small dollop onto the tip of each pastry sheet and use it to seal the roll. Place on a plate. Avoid stacking the prepared rolls or storing them for too long, as this can cause the dough to become soggy. Heat the oil in a wok and fry the rolls one at a time until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and place them side by side in an oven heated to 70 degrees Celsius (160 degrees Fahrenheit), keeping them warm for as short a time as possible. They taste best fresh from the wok. Arrange on lettuce leaves and serve immediately. Serve with the dipping sauce. For the dipping sauce, mix all the ingredients until the palm sugar has completely dissolved. If chilies are too hot for you, you can also use hot peppers; if you prefer a spicier dish, add a few chili seeds to the dip. Note: This is a variation of the traditional Thai spring rolls, which consist of raw vegetables and cooked chicken, pork, or shrimp. The advantage of this version is that the rolls can be frozen raw. They taste significantly better after frying than those made with raw vegetables. White cabbage is better for freezing than sprouts. To freeze, pre-freeze the rolls as quickly as possible on a board or tray and then place them in rigid containers, sandwiching them with wax paper between the layers. Move the containers carefully in the freezer, as the pastry shells are very brittle. To fry, place the rolls directly from the ice into the hot oil. Be careful, as they will splatter!