THE ELECTRIC KITCHEN
Wrap up some perfect New Year’s pupus
Now that Christmas is past, you're probably planning for a New Year's party, right? Spring Rolls or Lumpia are the perfect party pupu -- easy to prepare and easy to eat. You can roll them ahead of time, place waxed or parchment paper between each layer and keep them refrigerated or frozen. Fry them just before serving. These recipes are tried-and-true favorites.
Thai Spring Rolls
Vegetable oil for frying
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water
12 quartered rice papers
48 lettuce leaves
Fresh mint sprigs
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
» Filling:
10 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 ounce long rice
1/4 pound shrimp or imitation crab
1/2 pound ground pork
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, shredded
1/4 pound bean sprouts
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons fish sauce
To make filling: Soak mushrooms and long rice in warm water 20 minutes. Remove stems from mushrooms; chop caps. Cut long rice into 1-inch lengths. Chop shrimp or crab.
Combine pork, shrimp, mushrooms, long rice, onion, carrot, bean sprouts, pepper and fish sauce; mix well.
Heat oil to 375 degrees. Combine sugar and water. Place rice paper on flat surface and brush with water until pliable. Place 2 teaspoons filling near edge of rice paper; fold paper over. Fold right side over to enclose filling, then fold over left side. Continue to roll; seal. Repeat to use all rice paper sheets.
Fry rolls, a few at a time, until crisp and golden brown. To serve, place a spring roll in a lettuce leaf and top with a sprig of mint and cucumber slices. Serve with Spring Roll Sauce. Makes 48 rolls (24 servings).
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 100 calories, 7 g total fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, no cholesterol, 55 mg sodium, 6g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 4 g protein.
Spring Roll Sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons ground fresh red chili peppers
1/2 carrot or daikon, shredded
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
Combine sugar and water; bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat; stir in red wine vinegar, fish sauce and chili peppers. Pour into serving bowl. Chill.
Top with carrots and peanuts before serving. Makes about 1 cup (16 servings).
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 25 calories, 1 g total fat, no saturated fat or cholesterol, 175 mg sodium, 4 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 4 g sugar, 1 g protein
Lumpia
Vegetable oil for frying
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water
12 quartered rice papers
48 lettuce leaves
Fresh mint sprigs
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
» Filling:
1 pound ground meat
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, minced
1 can (8 ounces) water chestnuts, chopped
2 packages (10 ounce size) chop suey vegetables
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon patis (fish sauce)
To make filling: Brown meat; add garlic and onion and sauté lightly. Add water chestnuts, vegetables and seasonings; cook 2 minutes. Drain and cool thoroughly.
To assemble lumpia: Combine flour and water to make thin paste. Place 2 tablespoons of filling on a wrapper. Fold in sides, then roll up. Seal with paste.
Heat oil to 375 degrees. Fry lumpia until golden. Drain. Serve hot with Dipping Sauce. Makes 40 lumpia (20 servings).
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 340 calories, 15 g total fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 775 mg sodium, 39 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, no sugar, 11 g protein.
Lumpia Dipping Sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Combine all ingredients. Makes 1/4 cup (8 servings).
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 5 calories, 35 mg sodium, 1 g carbohydrate, no fat, cholesterol, fiber, sugar or protein.
Hawaiian Electric Co. presents this weekly collection of recipes as a public service. Many are drawn from HECO's database of recipes, accessible online at
www.heco.com.