Chinese

“If you look carefully you’ll see one side of the spring-roll wrapper is smoother – this side faces outward. Cover the wrappers with a damp tea towel while you’re prepping or they’ll dry out and crack. ”

Ingredients
  • 40 g dried Asian mushrooms
  • 50 g vermicelli noodles
  • 200 g Chinese cabbage
  • 1 carrot
  • 3 spring onions
  • 5 cm piece of ginger
  • 1 red chilli
  • 1 big bunch of fresh Thai basil , (30g)
  • 1 big bunch of fresh coriander , (30g)
  • 3 tablespoons toasted peanuts
  • 20 ml sesame oil
  • 75 g beansprouts , (ready to eat)
  • 2 tablespoons low-salt soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon cornflour
  • 16 large spring-roll wrappers , thawed if frozen
  • 1 tablespoon five-spice powder
  • 1 litre groundnut oil
  • sweet chilli sauce , to serve
Step By Step Method
  1. Put your mushrooms in a medium-sized bowl, cover with hot water and leave for 10 minutes, or until soft. Meanwhile, place the noodles in a large bowl, cover with boiling water and leave for 1 minute. Drain, rinse under cold water, then set aside.
  2. For the filling, finely slice the cabbage and peel and julienne the carrot. Add these to a large bowl with the noodles.
  3. Slice the white part of the spring onions on the diagonal and add to the bowl. Finely slice the green parts into ribbons and reserve for later.
  4. Peel and grate the ginger, then finely chop the chilli. Roughly chop the herbs and add to the bowl with the ginger and chilli.
  5. Crush the peanuts and add to the bowl with the sesame oil, beansprouts, soy and oyster sauces, and mix well.
  6. When they’re ready, drain the mushrooms, then chop them and stir into the filling. Season to taste.
  7. In a small bowl, blend the cornflour and 2 tablespoons of cold water.
  8. Next, lay one spring-roll wrapper, smooth-side down, on a clean surface as a diamond shape, with one corner pointing down towards you. Sprinkle a little of the five spice powder over it, then place another wrapper on top (the extra thickness will stop the rolls from breaking open while cooking).
  9. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the filling on the bottom corner of the double wrapper. Brush each corner with the cornflour mixture, then start rolling up from the bottom. When the filling is covered, pull the corners in from each side (to seal the ends as you go). Continue rolling until the filling is tightly covered, then press to seal the top corner.
  10. Lay the finished roll on a large baking tray and cover with a damp tea towel. Continue until you’ve filled all the wrappers.
  11. Heat the groundnut oil in a large wok or saucepan over a medium heat. To check whether the oil is ready, drop in a piece of potato; it should sizzle and start to turn golden. In small batches, carefully lower the spring rolls into the oil and deep-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
  12. Serve with the sweet chilli sauce and reserved sliced spring-onion tops.