A new month and with it comes a new recipe swap.
This time Christianna of Burwell General Store asked us to give our take on Oregon style coleslaw.
We have had a coleslaw recipe swap earlier as well. That time I had given an indo-chinese take on the recipe. This time too I am doing an Indo-chinese take on the recipe.
I don’t know why, but there is something about cabbage that always makes me think of chinese food. Maybe because of its use in chow mein noodles. Or in manchurian. Or in spring rolls.
Growing up I loved spring rolls. My mom would hardly make them at home, but we would get them at the Air Force Mess parties and I would always feast on them. The filling always comprised of cooked chow mein noodles mixed with finely chopped veggies like carrots, cabbage and bell peppers that were sauteed in soy sauce, vinegar and ginger garlic paste. The wrappers always made from scratch.
I, on the other hand, have been a little busy over the past few days and making the wrappers from scratch was out of the question. Plus, this time thanks to my Indonesian friend I knew the exact kind of wrappers to buy from the Asian store to make spring rolls at home.
I have tried making spring rolls in the past, during my first year of marriage. It was a major disaster.
The first time I made spring rolls at home I used rice wrappers, not aware they were rice wrappers since the only english words on the package mentioned them to be spring roll wrappers.
I was also unaware that rice wrappers are used differently than regular spring roll wrappers and are actually served without frying them. I somehow figured that they had to be soaked in water before using them to wrap (it was a little trial error after having few of them break when trying to roll them!).
But then, after wrapping I fried them and well, they were nowhere close to what spring rolls should be like.
Ever since that goof-up I never worked with them again. Until now.
I saw them being used on Live with Kelly and now I know you just need to wet the rice wrappers till they become soft and then roll them up like regular wrappers and serve as such. Definitely a healthier way to eat spring rolls.
I got 24 regular flour spring rolls from the mixture and with the leftover filling, I also made some rice wrapper spring rolls, putting my newly acquired rice wrapper knowledge to test.
Vegetarian Spring Rolls
Author: Shumaila
Recipe type: appetizer
Serves: 24 and makes some extra filling to be used in rice wrappers<br>
Ingredients
- 1 packet chow mein noodles
- 1 cabbage, shredded
- 3 carrots, julienned
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 capsicum, julienned
- few sprigs of spring onion, finely chopped
- 3 tsp soy sauce
- 1½ tsp vinegar
- 5-6 tbsp tomato sauce
- 1 tsp pepper powder
- 2 finely slit green chilli
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 3-4 tsp ginger, thinly sliced
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil, and extra for frying
- 24 spring roll wrappers, thawed and covered with a wet towel
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Boil the noodles along with little salt and oil till it is cooked or transparent, strain and wash with cold water, if sticky apply 2-3 tsp of oil to it and separate them.
- In a wok, or skillet, heat the oil, on high flame.
- Fry the green chillies and onion. Keep stirring, continuously.
- Add the garlic, carrots and saute for a minute.
- Add in the cabbage, capsicum and fry them till half-cooked on high flame.
- Pour in the soy sauce, tomato sauce, pepper powder, salt to taste.
- Add in the chow mein and mix it well.
- Add vinegar and spring onions and remove it from flame. Let cool completely.
- To make the spring rolls, spread out a spring roll wrapper on a clean working surface. Take 2-3 tbsp of the mixture and shape the spring roll the same way you shape burritos/ or as shown in the image below.
- Deep fry the spring rolls 3-4 at a time on medium flame (oil should be preheated). Remove when golden brown, cut it into half or as per desired size and serve hot with ketchup.
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