There is that thing about appetizers; they tease the palate with the promise that there is more to come. With Thai food, that promise intensely overwhelms the sense of smell before hitting the taste buds! I am forever hungry for Thai food and those humble Spring Rolls are one of my favorite starters.
Come to think of it, humble they are not! Those delectable small rolls that are the quickest to go are the most time consuming to make. That crisp golden wrapper with a gorgeous filling dipped in some sunny Spring roll sauce… so light yet utterly delicious!
Whether baked or fried my +Two simply love these and I’m a happy mom knowing the older one is enjoying her carrots for a change!
Once you have the ingredients at hand, peel the carrots and use a shredder to cut long and thin spaghetti-like strips. If you don’t have one already or if your food processor doesn’t have the required blade, you can find countless options of manual shredders at your local market! A good shredder/cutter with multiple options will be an absolute lifesaver amongst your other kitchen tools! It also makes food look great!
Rinse and soak the Shiitake mushrooms. Once they absorb the water and soften up, cut them into strips with kitchen scissors… trust me it’s a treat after trying to slice them with a knife! Don’t forget to retain the soaking water, it’s packed with flavor!
Combine the strained soaking water with the fish sauce, light soya sauce, salt and cornstarch.
Slice the onion thinly and finely chop up the Galangal and the Bird Eyed Red Chilies! The ones that you see in the picture are not the real birdies; those flew away!!! I sheepishly admit that I did not have Red Bird-Eyes Chilies as this venture was an impulsive urge to savor that Sweet Chilli Sauce sitting in my larder! Also if galangal isn’t available, you can substitute it with ginger. Well… it not really quite the sharp woody flavor of the earth but it will work- no worries!
Carefully chop up the crab meat into big bits so it doesn’t flaked and disappear completely once to toss it together with the rest of the filling.
These are “Mung Noodles” or “Glass Noodles” or “Cellophane Noodles”. J You can probably find then in any grocery store that stocks Asian ingredients. These vain girls with so many ‘endearing’ names come packed twisted in one big loop or in small spun clusters; either way don’t try and tackle them as they are some tough and stubborn darlings! But oh, they do take on flavors fabulously!
Best let them sit and soak away some of the stiffness in soothingly warm water for 15-20 min while you get chopping.
Once the noodles are soft you can use a kitchen scissors to cut them up to size ;) so that they are 3-5 inches long and then drain and let sit in the colander. We want minimum moisture to go into that filling so you have to make sure the vegetables are dry and the noodles completely drained.
My favorite way to shred Chinese cabbage by peeling off the leaves; washing and drying them and then layering them one upon the other and shred away. It’s a soothing and productive sound, the juicy crunch under the blade in a continuous rhythm!
Heat the peanut oil in your wok and toss in the galangal followed by the onions. If you don’t have peanut oil or don’t use often then just use any vegetable oil.
Toss in the Shiitake mushrooms and allow them to caramelize a bit.Toss in the Mung noodles and stir-fry on high heat.
Next add in the carrot strips and the cornstarch slurry. Make sure that the wok is really very hot as you want maximum moisture to dry up quickly and not overcook the carrots. Yep, we do not want sad looking discolored carrots!
Next add only a small fistful of cabbage.
Add the crab meat and toss lightly. You can use any meat to be honest, chicken, beef or prawns! Remove all that scrumptious goodness from the wok into a dish and refrigerate immediately.
Once the filling is completely chilled add the sesame seed oil and the remaining cabbage. In case you are wondering why now… if the cabbage is added while the mixture is warm the cabbage will lose its water content and you will have a soupy mixture sitting at the bottom of your bowl! The flavors will be lost and the cabbage, hopelessly limp. And if you haven’t savored some mouthfuls already- be your own guest!
Make a flour and water glue to seal the spring rolls. Place a spring roll sheet before yourself diagonally and spoon approximately 2 tablespoons of filling like shown above. Make sure it has a bit of everything in it.
Smear the flour glue on the topside of the spring roll sheet and start to roll from the bottom making sure that it is snug but not too tight.
Once you have rolled till the center of the sheet, turn in the right side like shown above.
Next turn it in from left side.
Keep rolling till the top making sure that the sides are tucked in neatly and the ‘flap’ is completely sealed with the flour glue. If you leave any gaps or holes, hot oil will seep in during the frying and the filling will be soggy and oily.
Voila! There you have it! A promising Thai Spring Roll ready to hit the hot oil!
Make sure the oil is hot when you fry these. If the oil is not hot enough or if these are refried, the spring roll will turn out to be greasy and heavy instead of being delightfully crunchy, light and delicious.
Serve with Sweet Chilli sauce- I use the Suree brand! I can tell you this much that these are pretty fabulous. Great to freeze and using for a snack or a quick starter for that Thai curry you might whip up one of these days.
Happy Munching!
For Thai Main Course consider making:
Preparation time 1 hour
Frying time 15 min
Ingredients
3 cups Chinese cabbage – Shredded
1 cup Carrot- Spaghetti-like strips or grated
½ cup Onion- Thinly sliced
½ cup Shiitake mushrooms – Sliced
½ cup Poached Crab Meat or any cooked meat of your preference.
1 teaspoon Bird Eyed Red Chilies – Finely chopped
½ cup Mung/Glass/Cellophane Noodles – Softened
2 teaspoon Galangal – Finely chopped
2 tablespoons Fish sauce
2 tablespoons Light Soya Sauce
1 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
¼ teaspoon Sesame Seed Oil
3 tablespoon Peanut Oil for stir-frying
36 Flour sheets for Spring Rolls
Vegetable oil for deep frying spring rolls.
For the sealing glue:
¼ cup water
¼ cup flour
Method
Soak the glass noodles in warm water and let sit for 20 min till soft. Cut them up with kitchen scissors and drain completely.
Shred the Chinese cabbage and the carrots.
Slice the onion and dice the crab meat into big pieces as it will flake later when tossed.
Chop up the galangal and chilies finely.
Prepare the Shiitake mushrooms by soaking them in 1 cup warm water and then cutting into strips. Retain the soaking water.
Combine 2 tablespoons of the water the mushrooms were soaked in with the fish sauce, soya sauce, salt and corn flour and set aside.
Heat the peanut oil; add the galangal and then the onions.
Add mushrooms and fry slightly for 30 seconds turning the heat on high.
Add the noodles and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. When all the excessive moisture dried up add the carrot strips and the cornstarch slurry.
Throw in ½ cup of the shredded cabbage and stir-fry for another 2 minutes on high heat.
Remove the filling from the wok to a bowl (preferably metallic) and refrigerate.
Once chilled add the sesame seed oil and the remaining cabbage mixing thoroughly and evenly.
Make flour and water glue for sealing.
Place 2 tablespoons of the filling on a sheet and roll it up turning in the sides.
Roll right till the flap making sure it is sealed properly with the flour glue.
Fry in hot oil till golden brown.
You can also brush these with vegetable oil and bake at 180 F for 20 min turning sides mid time.
Serve with Sweet Chilli Sauce or zap up a dip with your favorite flavors.
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