Soak the dried shiitake in warm water for about 20 minutes, or while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Alternatively, use 50g cleaned fresh mushrooms, coarsely chopped and sauteed in a hot, lightly greased pan until all the moisture has evaporated.

Meanwhile, finely grate a teaspoon of fresh ginger, and peel and crush the garlic.

Trim the core from the Chinese leaf (or savoy or green cabbage), if necessary, then finely shred the leaves to yield about 150g. Scrub and grate the carrot, and cut the water chestnuts or bamboo shoots into matchsticks; if using beansprouts, leave them whole.

Drain the soaked mushrooms, saving the soaking water, then roughly chop.

Heat the neutral oil in a frying pan, cook the ginger and garlic for a minute, add the five-spice and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

Add the mushrooms and other vegetables, as well as about two tablespoons of the reserved mushroom soaking water (or water, stock or rice wine), and add the tofu, if you’re using that instead of meat.

Leave the veg mixture to simmer uncovered, until the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables have softened.

Stir in the oyster and soy sauces and the sesame oil, and cook for another minute.

Mix in the pork, if using, fry until cooked, then take off the heat.

Once completely cool, mix in the chopped spring onions or chives (the Chinese variety are crunchier and more potent than the European sort).

Spring roll wrappers are easily found in the freezer section of most large supermarkets or in Asian food specialists.

Defrost them before use, still sealed in the packet.

Put one wrapper on a clean work surface with one corner facing you.

Cover the remaining pile of wrappers with a damp cloth, so they don’t dry out, and have a bowl of cold water within reach.

Spoon about two teaspoons of the filling mix in an oblong just below the middle of the wrapper, and leaving a gap at each end, then bring the bottom over the top of the filling.

Roll this up to the middle of the sheet, then fold in the sides over the top, wetting them slightly with the water so they stick.

Wet the top corner, then roll up tightly.

Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

Cover the uncooked spring rolls with a damp cloth until you’re ready to cook (alternatively, freeze them on a tray in a single layer until solid, then decant into a bag for easier storage and deep-fry from frozen).

Add oil to a wok or large pan so it’s a third full and heat to 180C (or when tiny bubbles gather around a chopstick dipped into the pan).

Fry the spring rolls in batches of three or four for about five minutes each, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp all over, then lift out and drain on kitchen paper.

Serve hot with dips of black vinegar and chilli oil, sweet chilli sauce or Worcestershire sauce mixed to taste with soy sauce and a little sugar.