Duck Spring Rolls
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 25 spring rolls
- Total: 1 hr 55 min (includes cooling and chilling time)
- Active: 1 hr 5 min
Ingredients
Filling:
2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil
2 1/2 pounds ground duck
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound carrots, thinly sliced
2 heads green cabbage, thinly sliced
3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 1/2 pounds shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cups roughly chopped fresh Thai basil
2 cups roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup roughly chopped fresh mint
Oil, for frying
One 12-ounce package spring roll pastry, such as Tee Yih Jia Spring Home
Nuoc Cham (Dipping Sauce):
1 1/2 cups warm water
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons red chile flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 serranos, thinly sliced
For Serving:
3 heads red leaf lettuce, trimmed and leaves separated
1 pound bean sprouts
1 Fresno chile, stemmed and thinly sliced
1/4 cup crushed toasted peanuts
Lime wedges
1/2 cup fresh Thai basil leaves
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
Directions
Special equipment:
a deep-fryer- For the filling: Preheat a 14-inch cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Sprinkle the ground duck with salt and pepper, then add to the heated pan. Allow the ground duck to brown all over, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, green cabbage, onions and mushrooms to the same pan. Cook the vegetables down until most of the liquid is removed and the cabbage is a light brown color, about 10 minutes. Add the soy sauce and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and fold in the basil, cilantro and mint. Pour the filling onto a sheet tray and allow to cool for 5 minutes at room temp, then refrigerate until completely cool.
- Preheat the oil in a deep-fryer to 375 degrees F.
- Place 2 sheets spring roll pastry on a work surface on top of each other with a pointed end facing you. Place 1/3 cup filling in the middle of the spring roll pastry sheet. Dip 1 finger in a small bowl of water and run along the edge of the spring roll pastry sheet. Fold in the sides to meet in the middle over the filling. Fold up the bottom point over the filling, then tuck to tighten the roll and roll the wrapper towards the top point. Place seal-side down on your work surface, then cover with a damp towel and repeat the process until all the springs rolls and filling are gone. Fry, in batches, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain on a wire rack-lined sheet tray.
- For the nuoc cham: Add the water, sugar, lemon juice, lime juice, fish sauce, vinegar, chile flakes, garlic and serranos in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside until ready to serve.
- When cool enough to handle, cut each fried spring roll wrapper into thirds on the diagonal with a serrated knife. Build a platter of lettuce cups, bean sprouts, Fresno, peanuts, lime wedges, Thai basil leaves, cilantro leaves and mint leaves. Serve with the nuoc cham.