Speedy spring rolls

“Finally, my winter fat has gone and now I have spring rolls.”

This recipe is a testament to the fact that often pantry-raid cooking is the best kind to spur your mind into different cuisine experimentations. I remember always thinking that spring rolls were something that I would forever eat at a restaurant or as a food delivery item because they felt just too complicated to cook at home. But one hungry evening and a packet of forgotten samosa wrappers later, I was enlightened. My mother and I were looking to cook something for our routine evening snacks and having found nothing in our store cupboard even after looking at it for straight ten minutes, we rummaged the shelves in the fridge to find this small packet of samosa wrappers that my father had brought in a fit of enthusiasm to nudge us into making samosas at home. While samosas still are me, but spring rolls did yield that evening. More than anything, I was just struck at how few ingredients you needed to make this and for it to taste so delicious. Cheats and shortcuts for the win!

RECIPE

Adequate kick starter to the meal for 4 people

INGREDIENTS

• 16 to 20 spring roll wrappers (or samosa wrappers or dumpling wrappers)
• ½ cup shredded cabbage
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• ½ cup sliced capsicum
• ½ cup spring onions
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
• Oil, for deep frying (depending on pan used)

1. In a bowl, add the shredded and sliced veggies along with soy sauce, salt, pepper, and sesame oil. Mix to combine.
2. Place about one teaspoon of the mixed filling onto one sheet of the spring roll. If the size of your spring roll wrappers is very big, you can cut it to make medium sized rolls.
3. With one of the edges towards you, tuck in the side and roll till the veggies are snugly fit into the wrapper. Seal the last edge with some water or flour paste.
4. Heat the oil in a shallow pan and slide in the rolled wrappers gently. When they turn golden brown, they are ready.
5. Using a slotted spoon or a spider, remove the cooked spring rolls and place on a paper towel to drain off the excess oil.
6. Serve with sauce and a garnish of coriander.

1. You can use tomato ketchup, sweet chili sauce or any other sauce of choice for dunking in the spring rolls
2. Coriander can be used as an optional garnish and for a hit of freshness.
3. Make sure the oil isn’t too hot or the outside will burn quickly before the inside can cook
4. Leftover veggies could be quickly turned into a light salad by adding some lettuce leaves and crushed mixed nuts.