Suizhou Spring Rolls 随州春卷

Suizhou Spring Rolls (随州春卷) are square parcels of tofu skin filled with greens, mushroom, minced pork and egg and briefly fried, made in Suizhou (随州), Hubei. Unlike the common spring roll in a wheat wrapper, the Suizhou version is wrapped in douyoupi (豆油皮), a sheet of tofu skin, which Farmers' Daily says holds together well and does not stick to the pan.

How it is made

One villager in Suixian (随县) described her filling to Farmers' Daily as shepherd's purse (荠菜), shiitake mushrooms, minced pork and egg. The filling goes in the middle of a sheet of tofu skin, which is folded into a square. The parcel should be plump, neither underfilled nor overfilled, because a full roll looks festive and carries a good meaning. The golden rolls are then fried only briefly in oil.

Flavour and texture

Frying turns the outer layer of tofu skin crisp while the inner layer stays chewy. The greens, shepherd's purse or the local paopaoqing (泡泡青), cut some of the oiliness and add a fresh fragrance, and the filling releases its juices as you bite. Paopaoqing is a Suizhou leafy green with thick, dark, blistered leaves that turn especially fresh-tasting and tender after frost; besides being stir-fried or cooked in hotpot, it goes into spring rolls.

How it is eaten

In Suixian villages the rolls are made at New Year alongside Suizhou sanxian (随州三鲜), a fried tofu-skin parcel of meat, egg and shrimp, and both are part of the holiday preparations. Many Suizhou parents make extra, freeze them, and pack them into their children's luggage when they leave home.