Winter Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

Ginger Onion Paste:
two spring onions, finely sliced
two red spring onions, finely sliced (or equiv. red onion / shallots)
three tablespoons grated, peeled ginger
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
6 tablespoons sunflower oil

Brown Sugar Tofu & Mushrooms:
12 ounces additional firm tofu
three medium cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
four teaspoons natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
two tablespoons sunflower oil
8 ounces mushrooms, brushed tidy, sliced 1/4-inch thick

For spring roll assembly:
Ginger Onion Paste (above)
Brown Sugar Tofu & Mushrooms (above)
crisp, crunchy lettuce (infant gems / romaine)
one little bunch fresh cilantro or other herbs, well washed / dried
~1 dozen rice paper wrappers

Procedure:

Make the ginger onion paste: Place the onions & ginger in a mortar & pestle. Sprinkle with the salt, & pound until the onions are bruised, but not paste-like. Heat the oil in a little saucepan until hot (hot that you could saute something in it). Add the onion mixture to the oil, remove from heat, & transfer to a jar to chilled. I like to drain off (& save) most of the oil before using it here in the rolls, leaving the paste.

Make the tofu & mushrooms: Pat the tofu dry, & cut in to six equal slabs before arranging in a single layer on a rimmed plate. Place the garlic in a mortar & pestle, sprinkle with the salt & sugar, & pound in to a paste. Work the oil in, a bit at a time, until the ingredients are combined. Use your hands to slather & gently coat each piece of tofu, be thorough. Set aside, & leave the bowl dirty.

Cook the tofu in a single layer in a immense skillet over medium-high heat until deeply golden on each side. I have found I don't need any addition oil here. Remove from the pan, & when chilled to handle, slice in to pencil-thick pieces, & salt to taste.

Meanwhile, toss the mushrooms gently (but well), in the residual marinade left in the tofu bowl. One time the tofu is done, you can use the same tofu skillet to cook the mushrooms. Use high heat, & cook until the mushrooms release their water & take on a pleasant, dark color. Transfer to a bowl or platter, & season appropriately.

Assemble the spring rolls: In bowl of hot water, dip each rice paper wrapper for three seconds. Resist over-soaking, even if the paper is a bit stiff it will continue to absorb water as you assemble the wrap. Place on a flat work surface & fold in half. Have a glance at the pics up above if you have seldom done this. You are going to need to keep all of your ingredients crowded in to 1/3 of the available surface of the wrapper at this point.

Put down a generous smear of ginger onion paste. Then a lettuce leaf, tofu, a few mushroom, cilantro. Then, tuck & roll. I like the open-sided rolls (above), but you can definitely make enclosed rolls by leaving the wrapper round, & folding in the edges mid-wrap.

Makes about a dozen rolls.

Prep time: 15 min - Cook time: 15 min