One thing that I’ll never, ever get tired of is Spring Rolls. Mummy used to make them occasionally either as a mid-day snack, or as a hefty side for our dinners. She would stuff these huge rolls with meat and veggies until they’d burst at the sides. A spring roll unburst was a spring roll not thoroughly exploited.
In recent years, I’ve been getting my roll fix at event caterers and street markets. But I dunno, man… it all seemed quite boring. Most of them have only had turnip and carrot and, if I’m lucky, some over-cooked beanspouts. Almost looking the same on the inside as it does on the outside. As tasty as they are, they are still a far cry from the rolls I’ve grown up on, brimming with all sorts of veggies and made with heart. The colours are what set Mummy’s rolls from the rest. The thought of her presenting them at the table was exciting. So I’m bringing the excitement back, vegan style!
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Pigments from the plant world are rich in antioxidants and have plenty of health benefits. Keeping a wide variety of fresh, colourful produce in your diet will bring a host of health benefits, like blood pressure and cholesterol management, a strong immune system and possibly lowering the risk of modern-day diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
This spring roll has five beautiful colours… well, four if you prefer it to be non-spicy! You can omit the chili if you wish, especially if you’re making it for kids.
The crafty part of this recipe is, of course, making the spring rolls.
This is how I make them:
Take a spring roll sheet and have one corner facing you.
Place a tablespoon of spring roll filling about one third down the sheet that is closer to you.
Take the side corners and fold them inwards so that they touch.
If you want a tighter roll, you can overlap too.
Take the bottom corner, lift up and roll upwards, tucking in the filling as you go.
Wet the top corner with water and press it lightly against the roll to seal.
And you’re done! With the first one that is.
If your first couple of rolls are messy, don’t worry. Your fingers get more skilled with rolling as you go along. It may seem slightly tedious to some, so I’d recommend doing it with a friend, or perhaps just approaching it with an appreciation of the process.
To absorb excess cooking oil, make sure you place the rolls onto a paper towel once they are taken out of the wok.
If there’s anything that will keep those taste buds busy while a main dish is on its way, it’s these golden babies right here.
Great for an Asian-themed dinner, perfect for parties… and an ideal way to give that under-utilized chili sauce in the fridge a boost in life purpose.
I haven’t made these for Mummy yet, but I have a feeling I’ll do her proud.
5-Colour Spring Rolls
A little bit of work is needed to create this famous fried Asian snack, and the joy they bring to any party or hungry bunch of kids is something that cannot be measured.
Directions
- Step 1 De-frost spring roll skins.
- Step 2 Heat up 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a wok with garlic. Fry garlic for 1 minute.
- Step 3 Add carrot, radish, chives, black fungus, chili, soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar and pepper and stir-fry for 2 minutes on medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Step 4 Remove spring roll skins from packet, and peel off one piece of skin per spring roll. Place a clean, moist cloth over the unused skins to keep them from drying out.
- Step 5 Make your spring rolls, using the tutorial in the blogpost.
- Step 6 Heat up a wok with 0.5-1 cm layer of cooking oil on medium to high heat.
- Step 7 Place spring rolls into wok and fry until golden brown, turning them occasionally to allow to cook on all sides.
- Step 8 Remove from heat and place on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- Step 9 Serve immediately with condiment of choice.
