Crispy Skins

This was inspired by a Taiwanese speciality whose name I didn't quite catch. It's a skin made with pork and flour (seasoned, of course) pounded and rolled very fine. They say that it can be done only on dry days; ambient humidity will not let the sheets cure properly. Sadly, this speciality is a dying art.

Since I most likely will never be able to achieve that, I adapted the lowly pinsec frito into a - hopefully! - close approximation of what it would be like fried.

Here is my standard filling recipe:
350 g minced pork
150 g shrimp, shelled and deveined
soy sauce
pepper
scallions, minced
sesame oil

Using soy sauce adds more flavour to the filling without making it too salty. Fresh shrimp also bring more flavour, but can easily be skipped if preferred or is not available. You can adjust the ratio as well, but the taste of shrimp can easily overpower the more delicate pork.

Scallions and sesame are omitted when filling siewmai but not wontons. Flour [either wheat or tapioca aka "wonder powder"] and an egg is also added for a smoother texture.

Whir everything together in a processor until very smooth; pick out any gristle. I normally "process" the filling using 2 cleavers and a chopping block. It takes longer and is more tiring, but you have more control over texture. In this case, there shouldn't be any lumps at all, not even tiny ones.

Spread filling thinly over spring roll sheets, and top with another sheet. Go over with a rolling pin to ensure evenness. Prick with a fork.

Fry in enough oil to cover, pressing down with a turner to limit puffing. As always, DRAIN WELL. Cut into portions while hot; the skins will just crumble when cool.

It sure looks like we do a lot of frying around here, but I reckon this is a bake-able recipe. The oven's currently out of whack so I can't say definitively, sorry!