Vegetable Spring Rolls Recipe

Makes: about 18
Prep time: 1 hour
Total time: 24 hours

for the sweet chili mango duck sauce:
½ red long hot chili
1 mango, skinned and pitted
½-inch piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
kosher salt
1 cup|250 ml white rice vinegar
2 tablespoons diced yellow onion
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
½ teaspoon orange zest
2 garlic cloves , peeled crushed
½ piece star anise
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon xanthum gum

for the five-spice salt:
2 teaspoons green cardamom seeds
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice
½ teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns
1 star anise
½ cup kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

for the filling:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying
½ pound|227 grams bean sprouts
½ pound|227 grams carrots, peeled and julienned
½ pound|227 grams napa cabbage, thinly sliced
½ pound|227 grams red cabbage, thinly sliced
½ pound|227 grams russet potatoes, peeled and julienned
½ pound|227 grams sweet potatoes, peeled and julienned
½ pound|227 grams yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 ounces|113 grams fermented tofu
½ cup|120 ml Shaoxing wine
¼ cup|60 ml soy sauce
20 (8-inch|20-cm) TYJ egg roll wrappers
1 large egg, lightly beaten

1. Make the duck sauce: Toss the mangoes, chili, and ginger in a bowl with 1 tablespoon salt. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours.
2. The next day, make the pickling liquid. In a large saucepan, heat the vinegar, onion, 2 teaspoons sugar, orange zest, garlic, star anise, and ½ cup|125 ml plus 2 tablespoons water over high. Cook, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the liquid over the mangoes and let it sit overnight again.
3. The next day, transfer the fruit and pickling liquid with the remaining sugar, honey, soy sauce, and xantham gum and purée until smooth.
4. Make the five-spice salt: In a medium skillet, toast the cardamom, five-spice, peppercorns, and star anise over medium until fragrant, about 1 minute. Cool slightly, then transfer to a spice grinder and pulse into a powder. Transfer to a small bowl along with the salt and black pepper and stir to combine. Spice salt will keep in an air-tight container for up to 3 months.
5. Make the filling: In a wok over high, heat the oil. Add the bean sprouts, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and onion and cook until soft, 8 to 9 minutes. Add in the tofu and wine and cook for 3 minutes longer. Stir in the soy sauce and remove from the heat. Cool, then drain.
6. Roll the spring rolls: Take about ½ cup of filling and, working with 1 wrapper at a time, place the filling on the edge of the wrapper closest to you, leave about ½-inch border and form the filling into a log. Taking the edge of the wrapper closest to you, roll it up and over the filling, creating a log. Brush the sides with the egg and fold them in. Roll the filling away from you until you have about 1-inch of wrapper still exposed. Brush it with more of the egg and continue rolling the spring roll to seal.
7. Heat 3-inches of canola oil in a large saucepan until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 350°F. Working in batches, cook the spring rolls until golden and crispy, 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with the five-spice salt. Serve alongside the mango duck sauce.

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