# If you like Eggrolls, raise your hand and say...



## Chief Longwind Of The North (Oct 2, 2009)

...and say; "I want an eggroll recipe, *NOW!*

Ok.  Someone requested this recipe in a different post.  Sooooo, here's my eggrolll & pineapple sweet & sour sauce recipe from my cookbook - "You Can Be A Great Cook With Poultry".  Hope you like it as much as we do.  But be forewarned, it is time intensive for one person to do.  So invite others to help prep and roll the eggrolls.  The filling can be made in advance.  You can substitute pork, shrimp, scallops, or whatever protien you prefer for the chicken.  You can even make it a veggie eggroll by using tofu instead of meat or seafood.

*[FONT=&quot]Pineapple Sweet & Sour Sauce[/FONT]*[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]This syrup based sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated.  It compliments egg rolls, chicken stir fries, won tons, etc.  It can also be used with ham and pastas.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]*[/FONT]​ [FONT=&quot]Ingredients:[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]2 cups chicken broth  (water can be used if no broth is available)[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]1/4 tsp. ginger[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]1 tbs. onion powder or 1/4 onion finely chopped[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]2 cloves crushed garlic[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]16 oz. can crushed or chunk pineapple (substitute  cup lemon juice if used for seafood)[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot] cup firmly packed brown sugar (substitute  cup white granulated sugar if lemon juice is used)[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]1/8 cup balsamic, or apple cider vinegar[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]1/4 chopped sweet pepper (optional but omit if lemon juice is used)[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]2 tbs. cornstarch mixed with 4 oz. water[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]*[/FONT]​  [FONT=&quot]Combine ingredients in order.  After adding brown sugar, taste.  Sauce should be fairly sweet with the ginger and chicken flavors tickling, not stomping the taste buds.  Add vinegar and taste again.  Add more brown sugar or vinegar as needed.  But be careful.  It is much easier to add just a bit more of something than it’s to try to remove it, or compensate for a too strong flavor.  [/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]Mix the cornstarch and water together, and pour into the gently boiling sauce.  Stir rapidly to distribute until the sauce is thickened.  Remove from heat and cover.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]*[/FONT]​  [FONT=&quot]Crushed pineapple is better for egg rolls, won tons, tempura coated items.  Chunk pineapple is good with pork chops, ribs, chicken pieces, etc.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]*[/FONT]​​ *[FONT=&quot]Chicken Egg Rolls[/FONT]*[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]We’ll start with something almost everybody knows and loves; Egg rolls.  Such an incredible flavor.  And yet, many people don’t like them due to the soggy, often mushy cabbage found in the commercially prepared varieties.  The egg rolls you will make from this recipe are crispy and filled with flavors and textures sure to please the most discriminating palate.  They feature the goodness of Asian vegetables, stir fried into a delicious filling (hint: Though this is a chicken recipe, you can change the meat to beef, pork, duck, lamb, shrimp, scallops, etc.  They all work equally well with the veggies).[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]We had a neighbor who seemed to have a sixth sense where egg rolls were concerned.  We never knew how she knew, but whenever I whipped up a batch of egg rolls, Lou (short for Louise) would show up at our doorstep.      Now mind you, she wasn’t a mooch by nature.  But she couldn’t resist these little beauties.[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]This recipe takes time.  It works best when multiple people work on it.  You can throw an Egg Roll party where you invite your friends and/or family to participate in the production.  You’ll be amazed at how many people will take you up on the offer.  And you’ll be the head chef of course.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Ingredients:[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]2 lbs. cut up frying chicken [/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]1/4 cup sliced and halved water chestnuts[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]1/4 cup coarsely chopped bamboo shoots[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]1/4 cup diced onion[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]2 stalks celery, sliced[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]1/2 green pepper, chopped (optional)[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]1 tsp. salt[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]1/4 tsp. Ground ginger[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]2 tbs. Soy sauce[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]scant dash of Chinese 5 spice powder[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]2 cups fresh bean sprouts[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]1 package egg roll skins[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]1 cup peanut oil + 2 tbs.[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]Skin and bone the chicken.  Place the skin and bones into a stock pot over medium heat.  Lightly salt.  Sauté to a rich, brown color on one side, flip, and brown the other side of the skins.  Add two cups of water and cover.  Bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down to simmer.[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]While the chicken skins and bones are cooking, finely dice the chicken meat into 1/4 inch pieces. [/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]     Heat 2 tbs. of the peanut oil in a steel wok, or large heavy skillet (I prefer seasoned cast iron if I’m not using my wok).  Add the chicken and half of the salt.  Cover with a lid and cook for about seven minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove the cooked chicken to a large bowl (very large) and pour any juices from the pan into the boiling chicken stock.[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]Return the wok to the stove and reheat.  Add the onion, garlic, peppers, bok choy, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots.  Stir fry on highest heat setting for five minutes without lid.  Remove the cooked vegetables to the bowl with the chicken.  Add the spices and soy sauce to the bowl and mix well.[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]Place the bean sprouts into the wok and cover.  Add ½ cup water to the wok.  Cook for seven to ten minutes until the bean sprouts turn white and loose there translucent quality.  Add to the meat and vegetable mixture and toss thoroughly.  Place bowl where you can easily reach into it and let cool for ten minutes.[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]Remove the skin and bones from the broth and discard.  Add water to make two cups of broth.  Use the broth as the basic stock for pineapple sweet and sour sauce.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]*[/FONT]​  [FONT=&quot]Frying egg rolls is best done with an assistant, or partner.  As the egg rolls are made, they should be immediately placed in hot oil.  As the uncooked egg rolls sit, the water and vegetable fluids will cause the skins to become gooey and hard to work with.  Working with a partner will also reduce the work load and total cooking time.[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]Put a finger bowl filled with water within easy reach.  Place an egg roll skin onto a clean dry surface.  Put one tbs. Of the chicken mixture onto the egg roll skin center.  Dip your fingers into the water and use them to wet all four edges of the egg roll skin.  Fold two opposite sides toward the center until they just begin to cover the filling.  Grasp one of the unfolded edges and place over the filling.  Continue rolling into a complete cylinder.  Set aside.  Make as many egg rolls as you desire.  Experiment with the amount of filling you add.  Deep fry in hot peanut oil immediately until lightly browned.  Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.  Serve with pineapple sweet and sour sauce and mustard sauce, and with fried or steamed brown rice.[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot]Oh, one more thing about egg roll skins.  You can wrap cheese and meat in them, place them in a covered casserole dish, pour your favorite tomato based sauce over top, and cook them in the oven, like manicotti.  Yum.  But that’s in another one of my books.[/FONT]



Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]


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## Wyogal (Oct 2, 2009)

yep!!!!
I have also used wonton skins to make appetizer-sized egg rolls. Sometimes I put finely sliced cabbage in mine, too. Especially if you are making lots, it helps stretch the ingredients.
I'll have to try the sauce!
It also helps to get a nice rug to stand on while making these!!! The labor intensive part is right! I will sometimes make the filling, clean everything up, then roll later.  I will roll enough to fry a batch, then fry, then roll some more.


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## mexican mama (Oct 2, 2009)

*tip*



Wyogal said:


> yep!!!!
> I have also used wonton skins to make appetizer-sized egg rolls. Sometimes I put finely sliced cabbage in mine, too. Especially if you are making lots, it helps stretch the ingredients.
> I'll have to try the sauce!
> It also helps to get a nice rug to stand on while making these!!! The labor intensive part is right! I will sometimes make the filling, clean everything up, then roll later.  I will roll enough to fry a batch, then fry, then roll some more.



great tip on the wanton skins..will surely do that when i make egg rolls soon.


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## ChefJune (Oct 2, 2009)

Years ago, a Filipino friend taught a group of us to make Lumpia, which, I have to say, are my favorite type of "Egg Roll."  She borrowed about 15 electric frying pans, and set up "stations" all over her house. After she demonstrated how to assemble and roll them, she spent the evening walking around making sure all of us were doing it correctly. I have thanked her (in my mind) a million times over the years.  They are really easy (once you get all the "insides" prepped) and _so_ delicious.

The major downside of them is how quickly they disappear at a cocktail party.


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## bigdaddy3k (Oct 2, 2009)

Goodweed of the North said:


> [FONT=&quot]Add the onion, *garlic,* peppers, *bok choy,* water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots. [/FONT]


 
I did not see these in the ingredients list. About how much?


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Oct 3, 2009)

bigdaddy3k said:


> I did not see these in the ingredients list. About how much?



The peppers refer to the green peppers in the ingredient list.  The only ingredients in the list are garlic,  of which you add about 5 cloves, minced, or 1 tsp. granulated garlic powder, and Bok Choy.  slice two stalks of bok choy and stir fry with the water chestnuts.  Of course you can add other ingredients such as mushrooms, cashews, carrot, sesame seed, etc.  Let your imagination run with this recipe.  Add whatever you think would taste great.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## mexican mama (Oct 5, 2009)

Goodweed of the North said:


> The peppers refer to the green peppers in the ingredient list.  The only ingredients in the list are garlic,  of which you add about 5 cloves, minced, or 1 tsp. granulated garlic powder, and Bok Choy.  slice two stalks of bok choy and stir fry with the water chestnuts.  Of course you can add other ingredients such as mushrooms, cashews, carrot, sesame seed, etc.  Let your imagination run with this recipe.  Add whatever you think would taste great.
> 
> Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North[/QUOTe
> I love Lumpia,,.my favorite is Lumpiang Ubod or heart of palm spring rolls, i prefer my lumpia fried...its a veggie lumpia thats delicious and crunchy.
> ...


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## ChefJune (Oct 5, 2009)

I was not aware there were any Lumpia that were NOT fried.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Oct 5, 2009)

When living in San Diego, I had access to Lumpia Skins.  Alas, where I live now, in the U.P. of Michigan, they are virtually unheard of.  I too made spring rolls with lumpia.  I liked them with a mixture of crunch y veggies, cooked until they had that crisp/soft texture, with some kind of seafood such as scallops, shrimp, crab, etc., a bit of soy sauce, a bit of sauce de poisson (fish sace), lots of bean sprouts, ginger and garlic, and with some cooked rice noodles.  I modified my pineapple sweet & sour sauce byu elliminating the pineapple, adding lemon juice, and substituting white sugar for the brown sugar.  That went really great with the spring rolls.  Lemon sweet and sour sauce is wonderful.  It works for chicken egg rolls as well.

There are so many things you can do with egg roll and wonton skins.  I love making wonton soup too.  I purchase a whole chicken, skin and bone it.  Fry the skins in a dry sauce pot until dark brown.  Remove the accumulated grease.  Add bones, after breaking them.  Breaking the bones allows the nutrients, marrow, and collogen to be extracted from the bone, giving a rich mouth feel and flavor to the broth.  Add water to half fill the pan.  Cover and simmer for an hour.

While the stock is forming, prep the wonton ingredients.  I use finely chopped celery, onion, carrot, and chicken meat.  Fry all ingredients, a little at a time, until just cooked.  The meat shouldn't even be browned, just cooked through.  Season with garlic, soy, ginger, and Chinese five-spice powder.  

With this recipe, I use egg-wash.  Place a tsp. of the filling mixture into the wonton skin center.  Lightly brush all sides with the egg wash.  Fold the sides over the center to form a pillow.  Place onto a rack and let air-dry.  When the stock is ready (the stock can be made ahead, by the way), strain through a fine, wire mesh seive.  Put the stock back into the pan.  Season to taste with salt or soy sauce, and just a little coarse grind pepper.  Gently drop the wontons into the gently boiling liquid.  Cook for about seven minutes.  Serve hot.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## bigdaddy3k (Oct 7, 2009)

Dude you rock.


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## CWS4322 (Dec 26, 2011)

Since I have lots of leftovers, I planned on making egg rolls today...only I'm going to bake them rather than fry them. Anyone else taking their Christmas dinner leftovers and making eggrolls? I'm making seafood eggrolls...the turkey went home with the DH (my bad).


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## Zhizara (Dec 26, 2011)

CWS4322 said:


> Since I have lots of leftovers, I planned on making egg rolls today...only I'm going to bake them rather than fry them. Anyone else taking their Christmas dinner leftovers and making eggrolls? I'm making seafood eggrolls...the turkey went home with the DH (my bad).



I've had good luck with baking these kinds of things if I spritz them with an oil spray first.  They come out more golden than toasted.


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## CWS4322 (Dec 26, 2011)

Do you use peanut oil or ?


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## Zhizara (Dec 26, 2011)

CWS4322 said:


> Do you use peanut oil or ?



I don't know if you were asking me, but in case...  I just use whatever spray oil I have on hand, buttery flavor, or canola, usually.


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## Skittle68 (Dec 26, 2011)

Do these freeze well after they are fried? I know they freeze commercial egg rolls, but I don't know, is this different?


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## Greg Who Cooks (Dec 26, 2011)

Here's the way I learned to fill egg rolls:

Beat an egg to use sealing the rolls. Before you start, remember that the skins dry out within mere minutes, so keep the skins covered with plastic wrap except when picking up one to stuff.

Place the skin on the counter in front of you with one corner facing you, the others at 9 o'clock, 12 o'clock and 3 o'clock. Dip your finger in the egg mix and brush around all the edges of the skin.

Place the desired amount of filling on the diagonal between 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock. Pick up the corner facing you (6 o'clock) and fold it over the mixture.Cover any part of 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock that was exposed from the under side with egg, then fold these two corners over the middle, sort of like an envelope. Again add any additional egg sealer as necessary, then roll the entire roll towards the 12 o'clock corner until the roll is complete. Inspect it and seal with egg wherever necessary.

I once made them a few hours in advance, covered with plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator until my guests arrived. They were positively ruined when I cooked them, got all bloated out and semi-exploded. Perhaps they would have worked better if I had individually wrapped them. So my conclusion is the skins dry extremely quickly, in as little as even just 5 minutes. Next time I want to serve them for company I'll make the filling in advance and then assemble and fry the egg rolls immediately before serving.


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## CWS4322 (Dec 26, 2011)

Skittle68 said:


> Do these freeze well after they are fried? I know they freeze commercial egg rolls, but I don't know, is this different?


 I have frozen them. I haven't baked them before, but would think they will freeze equally as well. I am filling with shrimp, carrot, grated cabbage, and whatever else catches my fancy.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 26, 2011)

I love eggrolls.  Finely ground pork with cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, red pepper (all finely chopped).  I usually fry in one inch of oil in a pot.  Once fried, I can freeze them and then warm in the oven.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Dec 26, 2011)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I love eggrolls.  Finely ground pork with cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, red pepper (all finely chopped)..



Fiona that's the closest to my recipe that I've seen in this topic. Mine  is perhaps somewhat Thai influenced (or not, I cook my own recipes  rather than sticking to traditional or authentic recipes). I use a mixture of 4 parts  ground pork, 1 part chopped shrimp, chopped ginger root, cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, thinly sliced Thai peppers, chopped green  onions, rice wine, brown sugar or palm sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce... I don't have any specific recipe and cook a different way each time I cook, depending on whim and ingredients on hand.

I'd like to try adding some lemon grass or maybe Thai basil. 

I'm pretty sure there's no way to freeze egg rolls without cooking them first.

By the way, egg roll skins freeze quite nicely, either in the original package or you can divide the package and wrap each portion tightly in plastic wrap. You'll probably end up throwing away the ones on top and bottom when you use them. I thaw them in the refrigerator or on the counter, then use them out of the middle of the package. And again, cover with plastic even while assembling and cooking. The exposed skins can dry out noticeably in only a couple or few minutes. They lose their flexibility and become difficult to stuff.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 26, 2011)

When working with the eggroll wrappers, I wrap them in moistened paper towels, keeps the moist and pliable.


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## Claire (Dec 26, 2011)

When a neighbor's Vietnamese mother came to visit, I asked if she would come over for a spring roll lesson.  Other neighbors joined us, and her DIL was delighted since her baby daughter is so allergic to shrimp that she gets sick from just being in the kitchen.  I would never actually try to duplicate her recipe exactly, but will her methods.  Way too many ingredients, most I can't get locally.  Her son brought me a package of the correct wrappers (all I can get locally is the thicker, Chinese type).  I also like making summer rolls.  

And yes, the raw spring rolls can be frozen (assuming your raw meat wasn't frozen to begin with).  I don't know how the larger, thicker Chinese egg rolls would freeze raw.  I think in the past I got around that by cooking the meat before making the rolls, then freezing.  The Vietnamese spring rolls are small and thin-skinned.  They go straight from the freezer to the pan of oil.  Keep the lid nearby, because they will splatter, which could be a disaster on a gas burner, not to mention little grease burns on hands and arms, and spots on clothing.


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## CharlieD (Dec 26, 2011)

I buy egg roll wraps and make vegetarian egg rolls often. Sundried tomato and avocado is my wife's favorite ones. I like plain cabbage, shredded carrots and bean sprouts.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Dec 26, 2011)

I think we have to consider there are (at least) two different types of spring rolls, particularly when you bring Vietnamese cooking into the discussion. I'm not sure what the proper Western terms are, or if there are even any that fully translate. I'll make some comments although I want to make it clear that I'm no authority, other than cooking what I like and not calling what I cook traditional or authentic.

Egg rolls: Similar to wonton skins, you fill them up with a stuffing and deep fry them.

Vietnamese rice paper rolls: You still make a stuffing, often using cooked transparent noodles, fresh carrot, cucumber, basil, cilantro, cooked full shrimps, perhaps some lettuce. These rolls use a rice paper that you soften in warm water for about 30-90 seconds, then roll the stuffing inside, and then you serve them right away, with Nuoc Cham dipping sauce. You don't fry these spring rolls at all. You can recognize them because of the fresh rice paper which is transparent so you can see right through. These are served at room temperature. I expect most forum members will have problems finding these rice paper "skins" unless you buy online.

I'm very frustrated since presently I have little or no cooking facilities and I can't or won't post recipes unless I've personally cooked and verified them. Anything I posted above should be considered partial and incomplete. I have hot linked Google searches above so you can follow my exploration and make your own conclusions.

I really like these Vietnamese rice paper rolls because they are so fresh tasting and have such healthful ingredients. The sauce is very important too. And they are nothing like the fried egg rolls that most of us think of from Chinese cooking.

I hope to post some recipes for these some day, some day when I have reasonable cooking facilities and when I can test, experiment, measure and document my recipes before posting. Until then I have only suggestions and ideas.


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## Skittle68 (Dec 27, 2011)

Gourmet Greg said:
			
		

> I think we have to consider there are (at least) two different types of spring rolls, particularly when you bring Vietnamese cooking into the discussion. I'm not sure what the proper Western terms are, or if there are even any that fully translate. I'll make some comments although I want to make it clear that I'm no authority, other than cooking what I like and not calling what I cook traditional or authentic.
> 
> Egg rolls: Similar to wonton skins, you fill them up with a stuffing and deep fry them.
> 
> ...



I have had the vietnamese rice paper rolls, and they were referred to as "fresh spring rolls"


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## Addie (Dec 27, 2011)

Fortunately, we have a Chinatown that serves all Oriental nationalities. There are a couple of supermarkets that  the majority of their items are in the written script of the country it is from. So you have to ask for what you want. And there are also some Mom and Pop stores run by different nationalities. Some are Chinese, some Vietnese, some Thai, some Japanese, etc. You can pretty much find anything you are looking for. It helps though if you have a friend that is Oriental and lives there.


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## CWS4322 (Dec 28, 2011)

Okay--the baked egg rolls are not my thing. The filling was good, but I prefer deep-fried egg rolls.


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## joesfolk (Dec 28, 2011)

I have never learned how to make a small batch of stir fry so I always have leftovers.  I use the leftovers to make eggrolls to put in the freezer for the next time I want to make a whole Chinese type meal (I would not presume to say the meals were actually anything like real Chinese.) I do add to the stir fry ingredients a bit just to change the flavor from the stir fry.  It all works out very nicely for us.


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## CharlieD (Dec 28, 2011)

Addie said:


> ... It helps though if you have a friend that is Oriental and lives there.


 
Rugs are Oriental ....


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