October 08, 2006

Spring Rolls..Chicken/Vegetable

Spring Roll
Spring Rolls are made with pastries filled mostly with julienne vegetables (such as cabbages, carrots, or mushrooms). Some include semi cooked ground meat which is cooked in the steam while frying, while others have seafood in them. The filling is wrapped in a thin, flour wrapper, and usually deep fried. Pork is typically used for Vietnamese fried spring rolls.
Till recently I did not know how easy it is to make spring rolls, especially since here we get the wrapper ready to roll.

I had stopped ordering it from restaurants since they almost always contain pork. Here I did not try making it with semi cooked ground meat, instead just cooked the chicken lightly and shredded it.The vegetables are a creative combination, so feel free to change it. Just remember to keep the size of each vegetable very thin.
This appetizer tastes just as good without the chicken, with all the flavors and textures from the different vegetables.

Somebody suggested baking the wrapped rolls instead of frying so thats a healthy alternative. I used the 5 inch pastry sheets available in the Asian/Indian grocery stores.
Freezer Note: These rolls also freeze well. After making them, lay them quite seperated on a plate/tray and freeze them uncovered for an hour or so. When they are well frozen,they will not stick to each other. Remove them from the tray and pack them together in thick freezer bags. When you need them, defrost outside for half hour or microwave for a very short time (20-30 seconds) and then fry them.

You will need: For about 20 small rolls or 12 big rolls
2 small chicken breasts (Optional)
Carrots-1/2 cup cut into thin pieces.
Green chilies-3 finely chopped
Cabbage-1 1/2 cups very finely shredded
Coriander /cilantro- 1/4 cups finely chopped
Scallions/Sping Onion-1/2 cup very finely shredded
Bean sprouts-1 cup (Optional)
Cooked thin noodles- 1/4 cup cut into pieces.
Light Soy sauce-2 tablespoons
Garlic clove --1 finely chopped
Black pepper- 1 tsp
Salt-1/2 tsp or to taste
20 small spring roll wrappers
Vegetable oil for frying
Preparation:
1. Cut all the vegetables very finely along its length. They should be thin and almost of the same size. Cut the cabbage into half and slice it from the inside surface to make thin strands. The vegetables and spices have to be all cut up and handy before you fire up the pan. The cooking time is minimal so there is no time to stray from the pan searching for something. ( Which is what I end up doing most of the time.) If using chicken, cut chicken into medium sized pieces and cook with salt, 1 tsp pepper and 1 tsp soy sauce for about 7 minutes. When cooked, cut it or shred it into tiny pieces. Instead of chicken you could add cooked shrimp or mushrooms.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large shallow pan or wok and when it is very hot, stir fry the chicken. Then add all the vegetables and garlic for about 2-4 minutes. Keep stirring while the heat is high to distribute the heat evenly. The vegetables should not be cooked/wilted fully. Add the salt, pepper and soy sauce, stir thoroughly and check seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Do not put too much soy sauce. The cilantro and green part of the scallions(spring onions) should be added only after the pan is taken off the flame.Remove from heat and let it cool.
Spring Roll
3. On a board, place 1 spring roll diagonally. Spoon about 2 tsp of filling on center half of skin. If using bigger wrappers, add more accordingly. Fold roll over filling, away from you tucking the point under filling. Fold side points over filling, and roll away from you toward the remaining corner. Moisten top point with a little water, folding over and pressing to seal.
4. Heat a deep skillet with oil, and fry spring rolls on medium heat until brown. If the oil is not hot enough, the spring roll will absorb more oil so maintain the heat. If it is too hot it will brown unevenly. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with spicy sauce for dipping.

Sweet and Spicy sauce:
2 tbsp Rice Vine Vinegar or Regular Vinegar mixed with 1 tsp sugar.
3- 4 whole red chilies or 1 tbsp red chili flakes packed in oil.
1 tsp sugar
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp soy sauce.
1 tbsp tomato sauce

Soak the red chilies in the vinegar for 10-15 minutes. Grind all the ingredients together. Add salt and sugar if needed.

30 comments:

FH said...

OOOOH! We love spring rolls!!Actually we bought some yesterday!I always thought it's too much hassle to ake! Now there is no excuse!:)) I will make some! Looks good enough to grab some!Thanks!

Btw,I am a non-veg!:D Check out Kari Ayam,Satay chicken with peanut sauce and Taka Tak recipes in my blog!Plan for one more chicken recipe next week sometime!:))

Anonymous said...

mmm.....visualicious, as always.

wanted to ask u, does A eat evrything u cook.i realize now that
i hav to cater food for 2kids plus hubby, the variety has come down,if one loves something,then mostly the other 2 hates it. so lazy me, try to make what is suitable for all. me, u know eats anything and everything as always.
lov
ki

Krithika said...

Lovely rolls ! Great recipe for the dipping sauce.

archana said...

Looks so inviting,can i come over ? Nice presentation, lovely photo, thank you for the recipe.

indosungod said...

Shaheen, looks wonderful, and the way you explain easy to cook too.

Anonymous said...

wonderful presentation. I'll be trying out your recipe very soon as I've the spring roll wrap in stock in my pantry. thanks Shaheen.

Rg.

Anonymous said...

You take such beautiful pictures Shaheen !! I can try out the veggies version.

Jayashree said...

I have loved spring rolls from the time I first tasted it....will be trying out the veggie version. Thx for sharing.

Anonymous said...

They look amazing Shaheen. I love springrolls :). Thanks for aharing this recipe.

Anonymous said...

Oh boy... what do I make first? I want to make everything shaheen. Spring rolls look so delicious. I might make your triangular roti(madakkupathiri?) today. :)

Mandira said...

The spring rolls look delicious, and a lovely presentation :)

Anonymous said...

I made these spring rolls today - they were awesome! The only change I made was to bake them instead of frying. My 8 year old who 'hates' cabbage had 2 of the spring rolls!

Thanks for a great recipe.

Shah cooks said...

Asha: Will check out your satay and taka tak recipes.I got the impression from the veggie dominance.:)

Krithika:Thanks.. Do try.

Archana: You are always so welcome to come over. Just bring some of your luscious food along. Thanks a lot.

Indu: Compared to our complicated Indian recipes, this is so easy.

Shah cooks said...

RG: Let me know how yours turned out.

Priya:,Jayshree:Shilpa:Thanks. I like the vegetable version too. I feel the chicken is unneccessary with so many contrasting tastes.

RP. I am looking for good fruits to make ur fruit roll up.:)

Mandira:Thanks a lot.

Anon, wish you had left your name. I am glad your kiddo liked it. I think I will add baking as an option.

Shah cooks said...

Ki: A and hub eat almost everything I cook. where else do u think all the pictures disappear to?:) Somethings A doesn't like to eat such as Kappa or cakes with fruits in it, but I make them any way. I know u were not finicky..

Prema Sundar said...

This is one of my Favourite Appetizers Shaheen. I have tried this one or two times but Iam lazy to do this as it takes a long time to make .Your picture tempts me to try it out soon.
Thanks for the recipe

Meena Kandlakuti said...

WoW!!...I love spring rolls ..they are really good..I will bookmark this for future preparation.Thanks for sharing

Anonymous said...

Hi Shaheen, Nice recipe. I use rice noodles and as you said the key is to keep everything ready before frying it up. I usually heat up the pan till it is scrotching hot and sizzle the veggies for a couple minutes. this way, there wont be water coming in from the veggies to make it soggy.

Priya Bhaskaran said...

hey shaheen, I never tried making spring rolls at home....which brand did you buy shaheen??? I going to make this soon....btw the pictures are damn good:) nicely presented

Nabeela said...

I used to make spring rolls a lot when I was in india...I even used to make my own wrap. But somehow that practice stopped after I came to US...but yor rolls look so good, I might just take it up again..using store bought wraps of course!
You are being very creative with your cooking during Ramadan...I'm enjoying reading all about it :)

Deepz said...

gr8 recipe shaheen. ive always made the vegetarian version and not adding shredded chicken is a good idea. will definitely give it a try.

Deepz said...

oh i meant to say now adding shredded chicken is a good idea.

Shah cooks said...

Prema: It does take a little effort from scratch to finish.

Meena: thanks and hope you will try it. It does make a good appetiser.

Hema: U are right. And I forgot to emphasise the scroching heat point. Thanks.

Shah cooks said...

Nabeela: How did u make the wrapper from scratch. I was thinking abt it for those who can't get ready made wrapper..I started making it only after coming here.
Deepz: No problem, i had understood anyway.

Shah cooks said...

Priya: I used 5 inch pastry sheets from "Spring Home" Pastry. Ther eare 10 inch ones also available.The other brands available are Tyj 10 Inch Spring Roll Pastry and something called Wei-Che pastry..Try in Frozen section in any Indian or asian grocery store.

Anonymous said...

Oh Shaheen -- you have outdone yourself with this one! They look fabulous! Excellent info about freezing too, as one could make an afternoon project of spring rolls and make enough for a long while. Thanks so much for taking the time to write this up :)

Shah cooks said...

Hi Paz: welcome and I hope you would try them.

Linda: Thanks a lot.Yeah, that's what I do.. make a bunch of them while I am at it and freeze for future use.

Nabeela said...

I had a tarla dalal recipe for spring roll wapppers in her chinese cooking book. It just takes a long time but makes decent wrappers

Anonymous said...

Add little bit of toasted sesame oil to the mix, it adds real chinese flavour to the spring rolls - Sini

Unknown said...

can we make the spring roll wrappers at home

Arshiya Azad