Faux Rolls

Although these eggrolls are filled with traditional Chinese ingredients, they use spring roll wrappers and are baked, rather than fried.

I tried baking eggrolls in the usual eggroll wrappers, but they turned out tough and not very crisp. When I wrapped them in the thinner, more delicate spring roll wrappers and brushed them with a little egg white before baking, they were much better. True, they aren’t as crisp as deep-fried rolls, but they taste great.

Spring roll wrappers are paper-thin and need to be handled gently or they may tear during rolling. Don’t let the filled wrappers stand too long before baking or they will become soggy. They are best when baked immediately after filling and eaten right away.

You can get spring roll wrappers in Chinese and Vietnamese markets and many supermarkets. Bottled plum sauce, found in most Asian markets, makes a great dipping sauce when blended with a little soy sauce.

BAKED EGGROLLS

DIPPING SAUCE

1/2 cup plum sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

EGGROLLS

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

Nonstick cooking spray

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced ginger root

1/2 cup minced green onions

4 shiitake mushrooms, diced

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped

1 cup bean sprouts

1 cup shredded napa cabbage

8 spring roll wrappers

1 egg white, beaten

Sesame seeds

DIPPING SAUCE

Stir plum sauce with soy sauce.

EGGROLLS

Combine soy sauce and cornstarch until smooth, then stir in water, salt and sesame oil. Set glaze aside.

Spray wok with nonstick cooking spray. Heat and add garlic, ginger, onion and mushrooms. Stir-fry until mushrooms are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp and cook just until shrimp begin to turn translucent, about 1 minute. Add bean sprouts and cabbage. Saute about 2 minutes or until cabbage is wilted and sprouts are crisp-tender.

Pour glaze over ingredients in wok. Heat and stir just until vegetables are glazed.

Lay 1 spring roll wrapper on work surface. Spoon about 1/4 cup filling onto wrapper in 4-inch diagonal strip about 1/3 way between opposite corners of wrapper. Fold closest corner over filling. Fold both side corners of wrapper to center. Roll up tightly.

Place rolls on baking sheet, seam-side down. Brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle with few sesame seeds. Bake at 425 degrees until browned and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Cut each eggroll into 2 to 3 sections and serve with Dipping Sauce.

Makes 8 eggrolls.

Each eggroll, without dipping sauce, contains about:

123 calories; 454 mg sodium; 46 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams protein; 0.44 gram fiber.

* Dinnerware from Bristol Kitchens, South Pasadena.