Yiling Spring Rolls

Yiling Spring Rolls

　　 Yiling Spring Rolls are made with thin wrappers of egg and flour, wrapped around lightly stir-fried leeks, cured meat, dried tofu, mushrooms (or winter bamboo shoots), and then deep-fried until golden brown. The dish is crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, fragrant and soft—delicious to eat. Popular during the Qingming Festival, it is much loved by the people of Yichang. (Yichang)

　　Among the most beloved snacks of the people of Yichang, one cannot fail to mention Yiling Spring Rolls, which are rare among the many local snacks for having a place name as their prefix.

　　The reason it’s called a “roll” is that in the past, when living conditions were tough, spring rolls would only appear on the table during the Spring Festival as a way to improve the family meal. No matter how poor a household was, this dish was always included. Nowadays, because it’s considered troublesome, few people make them at home, and instead simply buy them at the market and fry them up. While the basic method of making Yiling Spring Rolls is largely the same, people in Yichang have adapted the flavor to their own preferences, resulting in different tastes—some lighter, some spicy—to cater to the varied palates of the locals.

　　Yiling Spring Rolls are made from thin wrappers of egg and flour, wrapped around lightly stir-fried leeks, cured meat, dried tofu, mushrooms (or winter mushrooms), and then deep-fried until golden brown. The dish is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, fragrant and delicious. It is usually homemade during the Lunar New Year period and is very popular among the people of Yichang.

　　Yiling Spring Rolls not only have a “place of their own” in major food markets, but can also be found in large supermarkets, with various premium packaged versions displayed in freezers.