Being in the thick of winter here in Ottawa, I've decided to post a recipe with spring in the name giving me, and others who may be freezing, the fortitude to get through those -30 days. I learned how to make these spring rolls at a cooking school in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where I lived for 6 years. They remind me of warm days, teak tables and festive occasions. Everything from weddings to school potlucks have seen these quickly disappearing spring rolls. It's a no fail dish.
 | These are the ingredients I use when feeding a crowd. They are inexpensive, vegetarian and texturally perfect. However, if you would prefer to add a ground meat to this, it is easily substituted for the noodles or just use a combination of the two. Another option is tofu or shrimp, both are delicious substitutes.  |
Spring rolls are deep fried so, as we all know, anything deep fried is delicious. You may wonder....can I bake them so they can be healthier? The answer is a firm "no." By all means you can try, but to go to all the work to make these gorgeous little packages, why would you take a chance with baking them?
I used wonton wrapper for these bite size beauties. They are the perfect size for finger food. If you are serving these as part of a meal, you could use eggroll wrappers which are much bigger and so the whole process will take less time, they are just as delicious and can be wrapped in the same way. Why not use spring roll wrappers you ask? I find that the thing spring roll wrappers have layers which are often far greasier as the grease gets trapped in the layers.
Now, before you set up your station to make these, there a few things you must know. You need to do it at a table as you'll be at it for awhile. You need to pour yourself a drink and finally, you need to set up your computer so you can watch Netflix while doing this. When you have the proper setup, it's no longer daunting but just keeping busy while binging on Netflix.
 | Don't worry about messing up the first few you make. That's a given. You will get the hang of it. When you finish one, place it on parchment paper, making sure it doesn't touch another. When the cookie sheet is full, cover in tinfoil and place flat in the freezer. Allow them to completely freeze then place in a ziploc bag. I keep a damp towel covering the spring rolls as I am making them so they don't dry out. |
| Thai Spring Rolls 2 packages of wonton wrappers (you need between 80-90) or 1-2 packages of eggroll wrappers 4 cups of bean sprouts 1 cup of grated carrot 3 cups of cooked vermicelli (1/3 of a package) 1 1/2 cups of diced mushroom 1/2 cup of diced onion 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro stems (they hold up better than the leaves) 4 green onions diced 2 cloves of garlic diced 2 tbsp of fish sauce 2 tbsp of sweet chilli sauce 2 tsp of soya sauce 1 egg 1 tbsp of whole wheat flour (you can use another type of flour if needed) couple tsp of water pepper 2 tbsp veg oil plus oil for frying |   |
Begin by heating a large frypan, with the 2 tbsp of oil, over medium heat. When hot, add the onions and mushrooms and saute for 3-4 minutes. Then add the carrots and garlic and saute another 3-4 minutes. Before adding the vermicelli, use some scissors to cut it into smaller pieces then add it to the pan. Do the same with the bean sprouts. Mix well adding a healthy dose of pepper. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg, soya sauce, sweet chilli sauce and fish sauce. Pour the mixture over the noodle bean sprout mixture and evenly incorporate it. Cook for another 3 -4 minutes while gently stirring to make sure the egg mixture has been absorbed by the noodles. Remove form the heat and add the green onions and cilantro stems. Taste test - it should be yummy enough to eat on its own.
To make the glue, in a small bowl add the whole wheat flour and a couple teaspoons of warm water. Mix well. Add more water if necessary, the mixture should be thin enough to spread easily on the wrappers but thick enough to hold its own.
Make spring rolls using the pictures and instructions above. You can cook straight away or freeze for later. If you freeze them, it is important to cook them from frozen.
When frying, heat a few inches of veg oil to around 360. Fry in batches and when golden all over, remove to paper towel to drain. They only take 4-5 minutes to cook. If you make larger ones, they will take longer. You may need to add more oil as you continue. Serve with Thai sweet chilli sauce. Makes 80-90 mini spring rolls.
To make the glue, in a small bowl add the whole wheat flour and a couple teaspoons of warm water. Mix well. Add more water if necessary, the mixture should be thin enough to spread easily on the wrappers but thick enough to hold its own.
Make spring rolls using the pictures and instructions above. You can cook straight away or freeze for later. If you freeze them, it is important to cook them from frozen.
When frying, heat a few inches of veg oil to around 360. Fry in batches and when golden all over, remove to paper towel to drain. They only take 4-5 minutes to cook. If you make larger ones, they will take longer. You may need to add more oil as you continue. Serve with Thai sweet chilli sauce. Makes 80-90 mini spring rolls.
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