Duck Spring Rolls Recipe

Duck Spring Rolls Recipe | Antonia Lofaso

Level: Intermediate

Makes: 25 spring rolls

Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes (includes cooling and chilling)

Hands-on: 1 hour 5 minutes

Enjoy crispy Vietnamese-inspired spring rolls made with flavorful ground duck instead of the usual pork and vermicelli, served with soft lettuce, fresh herbs, and a tangy, sweet-spicy nuoc cham dipping sauce.

Filling

• 2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola or vegetable)
• 2 1/2 pounds ground duck meat
• Kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
• 1 pound carrots, finely sliced
• 2 green cabbages, finely shredded
• 3 large yellow onions, finely sliced
• 2 1/2 pounds shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 4 cups roughly chopped Thai basil (fresh)
• 2 cups chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 cup chopped fresh mint

For Cooking

• Oil, for deep-frying
• 1 (12-ounce) package spring roll pastry (for example, Tee Yih Jia Spring Home)

Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1/2 cup fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 serrano chiles, thinly sliced

To Serve

• 3 heads red leaf lettuce, leaves separated
• 1 pound bean sprouts
• 1 Fresno chili, sliced
• 1/4 cup crushed toasted peanuts
• Lime wedges
• 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves (whole)
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves (whole)
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

Special equipment: Deep fryer

Instructions

1. Make the filling. Heat a large 14-inch cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Season the ground duck with salt and pepper and brown in the pan, turning to color all sides, about 5 minutes.

Add the carrots, cabbage, onions, and mushrooms and cook, stirring, until the vegetables have lost most of their moisture and the cabbage turns lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce, remove from heat, then fold in the basil, cilantro, and mint. Transfer the mixture to a sheet tray to cool at room temperature for 5 minutes, then refrigerate until completely cold.

2. Heat the oil. Heat frying oil in a deep fryer to 375F.

3. Roll the spring rolls. Place two spring roll pastry sheets stacked with a corner pointing toward you on a work surface. Put 1/3 cup of cooled filling in the center. Wet a finger with water and run it around the edge of the pastry. Fold the left and right corners over the filling, fold the bottom up, tuck snugly, then roll to the top. Place seam-side down and keep covered with a damp cloth while assembling the rest.

4. Fry. Fry the spring rolls in batches for 6 to 8 minutes, until deeply golden brown. Drain on a rack set over a sheet pan.

5. Make the nuoc cham. In a medium bowl, combine the warm water, sugar, lemon and lime juice, fish sauce, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, garlic, and serrano slices. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and flavors meld; let rest until serving.

6. Serve. When cool enough to handle, cut each spring roll on the diagonal into three bite-size pieces with a serrated knife. Arrange lettuce cups, bean sprouts, sliced Fresno chili, crushed peanuts, lime wedges, and the whole herb leaves on a platter. Serve the crispy duck spring rolls with nuoc cham and garnishes for wrapping and dipping.

This recipe has been revised to better reflect its origins and background and may differ from prior published or aired versions.