SHANGHAI SPRING ROLL SKINS

Steps:

• Combine the flour, salt, and tapioca starch in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the water and oil. Use a bamboo rice paddle or wooden spatula to stir and incorporate the flour with the water, working from the center to the rim of the bowl. Try to stir in one direction to develop the gluten in the dough. After the ingredients have blended together into a rough, soft , sticky mass, start stirring in one direction. Within seconds, the dough should become fully hydrated and turn into a thick paste (resembling a starter for bread) and slightly glisten from moisture; it should not hold a mounded shape. If needed, add water by the teaspoon to loosen the dough. Stir for 4 to 5 minutes, about 200 strokes. Strands of glutinous, pasty dough will form, attaching themselves to the rim of the bowl as you stir, and become longer as you progress. Slow down and/or pause if you get tired. When done, the thick pasty dough should be elastic enough for you to lift and stretch it 12 to 14 inches from the bottom of the bowl. If you are unsure, keep stirring for a little longer. Gather the finished dough together; it should hold a slightly mounded shape for a few minutes before spreading out to touch the walls of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours, or refrigerate overnight and return to room temperature before using. Alternatively, use a mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Put all the ingredients in the mixer bowl and stir by hand to combine well. Then run the machine at medium speed for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Keep the dough in the mixer bowl or transfer it to another bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours, or refrigerate overnight and return to room temperature before using.
• To prepare the skins, slightly dampen a kitchen towel (I wet my hand up to my forearms and wipe them dry on the towel) and put it atop a large plate. Place next to the stove. Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet to medium-low and then lower the heat slightly. The skillet should be hot enough for you to touch it with your finger without you flinching, but not cool enough for you to leave it there for any length of time. The dough won't stick to an overheated skillet but on an underheated skillet, it will stick too much and result in thick skins. Adjusting the flame is tricky, and I use a standard burner for these skins. If you have a high-output burner or stove, it may be necessary to use a flame tamer to diffuse the heat and/or to remove the skillet from the heat in between skins. Because slightly chilled dough is firmer and easier to manipulate into a thin film, put the bowl containing the dough in a larger bowl in which you have put 8 ice cubes (without water). Set on or near the stove.
• Take a large handful of dough, all of it if you can, and hold it with your palm facing upward. (When making a double batch, separate the dough into two bowls.) The gloppy dough will begin to drip, so control it by working it with your fingers while slowly rotating your wrist; your palm will naturally follow your wrist and go up and down. As this happens, the dough will form into a round sacklike shape. Finish with your wrist facing up with the dough in a manageable globular mass. To make a skin, gently press the dough onto the skillet and slowly wipe it in a circular motion. Lift the dough upward as you complete the circle. The dough will naturally twist and come off the skillet. If excess white dough remains, smooth it out with a rubber spatula. You can quickly patch small holes this way too. Aim to create a thin 6 to 7-inch round film of dough on the skillet. It does not need to be perfect and a tiny hole now and then is forgivable. After forming the skin, you can keep the dough in your hand, but I like to let it drip back down into the chilled bowl to firm up; it takes seconds to retrieve and work it for the next one. Should the dough get cold, warm it up by working it with the rotating wrist motion before making another skin. After about 15 seconds, part of the lacy edge should dry out and lift off the skillet, the sign of doneness. Use your fingers to peel the skin from the skillet. You do not have to cook the other side. Place the finished skin, uncooked side down, on the plate and cover with the damp kitchen towel, which will soften the edges. Make more skins from the remaining dough, adjusting the heat as needed and stacking one on top of the other. As you get toward the end, the skins will get smaller as there's less dough to work with. Try spiraling the dough from the center outward to create decent-size skins. It's hard to use up all the dough so discard the last bit.
• Remove the finished skins from the plate, wrap them in a double-folded kitchen towel, and slide them into a zip-top plastic bag. Keep at room temperature if you are going to be using them right away. The skins can be refrigerated for up to 5 days; for less bulk, wrap them in parchment paper. Before using, return them to room temperature. Over low heat, steam stacks of 10 skins at a time in a kitchen towel for 10 minutes to soften them. Once refreshed, keep them soft in the warm steamer as you work.
• lazy day tip
• Shanghai spring roll skins, often labeled "spring roll skins" or "lumpia skins," are stocked in the frozen section at Chinese and Southeast Asian markets. They may be square or round and will be larger than homemade ones, so you can fill them with a bit more than what's specified in the recipes here. Thaw them before using and separate them one by one, restacking them and covering them with a damp kitchen towel to prevent drying, just as if you made them fresh. If they are dry, apply the steaming method outlined in step 4 to revitalize and soften them. When filling a square spring roll skin, position it as a diamond with a corner pointing toward you. You can moisten them with either beaten egg or water, whereas egg works best with homemade skins.