Jai - Vegetarian Bean Curd Spring Rolls
"Jai" is the Chinese word for vegetarian food. Jai is eaten on special holidays and you'll usually find the best jai dishes at Buddhist temples, which usually have accompanying cafeterias. This particular recipe is unique because it's not like the typical crispy skin spring rolls. The wrap is made with layered bean curd sheets and then the rolls are fried creating a nice layered texture. The crunchy outside pairs well with the tender vegetables and mushrooms on the inside.
A special note for the bean curd sheets are that these ones are located in the refrigerated section of the Asian grocery store. There are some sheet that are dry and look very similar, but these are the refrigerated ones and are slightly moistened already.
Anyhow, the full recipe is below!
The ingredients - plate 1: celery, carrots, water chestnuts; plate 2: shitake and king mushrooms; plate 3: garlic and ginger
Bean curd sheets and seasoning: salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, white pepper
Stir fry garlic and ginger with vegetables, mushrooms, and seasonings for 2 minutes on medium high heat.
Cooked vegetables and deglazed liquid
Hydrate bean curd sheets with deglazing liquid. Wrap cooked filling in bean curd sheets.
Steam the spring rolls for 15 minutes.
Coat spring rolls lightly with cornstarch. Deep fry 1-2 minutes per side until golden. Drain on paper towel.
Cut into 6 slices. Serve as is or with soy sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 package of bean curd sheets
- 2 carrots (cut into matchsticks)
- 3 stalks celery (cut into matchsticks)
- 6 water chestnuts (cut into matchsticks)
- 4 shitake mushroom (cut into matchsticks)
- 1 king mushroom (cut into matchsticks)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped),
- 1/2 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons cornstarch
Directions
- On medium high heat, add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to pan. Add in garlic and ginger and fry for 30 seconds to release the flavor. Add in vegetables and mushroom along with the salt, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper. Stir fry for about 2 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
- Deglaze pan by pouring 3/4 cup water into pan. Reserve the liquid.
- Using a paper towel or brush, lightly moistened the bean curd sheets front and back with the deglazing liquid.
- Place several tablespoons of the filling towards the bottom of the sheet. Fold the left and right sides towards the center and roll up. Remember to press down after each roll to ensure that it is tight.
- Steam the rolls for about 15 minutes and let cool.
- Using a paper towel, lightly dry the outside of the rolls. Lightly dust the outsides with a little cornstarch.
- On medium-high heat, fry the spring rolls about 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.
- Cut into slices and serve.*