Simon Bryant Spring Rolls Recipes

SPRING ROLL RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a skillet or wok over high heat. Add garlic, stir quickly, then add pork. Cook, breaking it up as you go, until it turns white.
• Add carrot, bean sprouts, cabbage and mushrooms. Cook for 3 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Add cornflour, soy sauce and Oyster sauce, cook for 1 minute until the liquid is gone. The Filling should not be watery, it should be kind of sticky (watery filling = soggy spring rolls = ? ).
• Cool Filling (super speedy: spread on tray, refrigerate 5 minutes). (Hot filling = spring rolls burst open = ? )
• Mix cornflour and water in a small bowl (for sealing the rolls).
• Carefully peel off one spring roll wrapper, keep the others covered under a damp tea towel.
• Place the wrapper with the SMOOTH SIDE DOWN (Note 3) in a diamond position. Place a very heaped dessert spoon of filling on the bottom. Roll up halfway, fold sides in, then finish rolling. Use cornflour sludge to seal. (Watch VIDEO below). They should be about 12 cm / 5" long, 2.5cm / 1" wide once wrapped.
• Pour enough oil in a wok or large saucepan (Note 4) so it is double the height of the spring rolls. Heat on medium high until hot - stick a bamboo chopstick or wooden spoon handle in, if rapid bubbles appear, then it's hot enough.
• Carefully place spring rolls in the oil (about 4 - 5 at a time) and cook, turning occasionally, until deep golden - around 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Repeat with remaining spring rolls. Serve while hot with Sweet and Sour Sauce!
• Place spring rolls on a rack and place the rack on a tray. Spray very generously with oil all over (use canola or other natural oil). Bake at 200C/400F (standard) or 180C/350F (fan / convection) for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and crispy - no need to turn.
• Combine ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to simmer, stirring regularly, then simmer until it thickens to taste (about 3 - 5 minutes).

FRESH SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Cook vermicelli noodles in boiling water, for just a few minutes, according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
• Gather all topping ingredients together, including chopped veggies, herbs, cooked shrimp.
• Add about 1 inch of water to a large, deep dish, or pie pan. Place one rice wrapper into the water and let soak for just 10-15 seconds. It should still feel pretty firm as you remove it and lay it on your counter or plate.
• (It will soften up as you add the filling ingredients, but If you let it soak for too long it will get too soft and will tear when you roll it up.)
• Layer 1-2 slices of each veggie, a few shrimp, a few leaves of each herb and a pinch of noodles on the 1/3 of the spring roll that is closest to you.
• Fold the sides of the spring roll in over the ingredients. Then pull the side closest to you up and over the ingredients, sealing everything together tightly, and rolling it up like a burrito.

EASY SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Before you get the kids cooking, put the noodles, vegetables, prawns and chicken in individual bowls for everyone to help themselves. Get everyone to wash their hands and put aprons on. Sit the kids down and give them their own mixing bowl and spoon. Let them choose which ingredients they want (noodles are essential) in their rolls and if they want to graze as they choose, that's fine - all the ingredients are cooked or can be eaten raw. Add a bit of garlic and ginger, a tiny dash of soy and sprinkling of five-spice to each bowl and let them mix everything together.
• Push the bowl aside and lay a sheet of pastry in front of each child. Ask them to spoon the filling down one side of each sheet, then give them the beaten egg and a brush so they can brush around the edges. Help them to roll the pastry up neatly by folding both sides over the filling, then rolling them up.
• Lift the spring rolls onto a baking tray, seam-side down, brush with a little more egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if you like. Try to remember which child made which roll to save any arguments at the end! Bake for 20-25 mins or until golden.
• While the rolls are in the oven, make the dipping sauce. Get the kids to mix all the ingredients together until the sugar has dissolved. When the spring rolls are golden and crisp, remove from the oven. Leave until cool enough to handle, cut into pieces for smaller kids, then let them eat, dipping the rolls into the sauce.