Chinese Spring Roll Wrappers

Authentic Chinese spring rolls have a light, crisp-crackly skin and are small enough to enjoy in four bites. Usually, the filling is light, full of tender-crisp vegetables, and you can taste and tell apart each of the ingredients in the filling. Spring roll wrappers can be hard to find if you do not live near an Asian supermarket. If they are not readily accessible, the best thing to do is make your own.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water

In a large bowl, stir the salt into the flour. Mix the water into the flour to form a batter. Cover and let rest for 1 hour.

Use a non-stick pan and grease it with very little oil and heat on medium low heat. Turn the heat down to low and add a tablespoon of the batter to the middle of the pan. Quickly spread the batter out evenly to form a circle 5 - 6 inches in diameter. Continue smoothing out the batter as the skin cooks.

Cook the skin briefly, until it is cooked on the bottom and the edges curl slightly. Take care not to overcook. Remove carefully and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use as called for in the recipe.

Keep the filling chilled and don't make up the spring rolls until you are ready to deep-fry. Have a cornstarch and water paste on hand to seal the spring roll wrappers after they are filled.