So, along with Christmas, Easter and Halloween, Chinese New Year is another celebration that seven year old M really looks forward to. Every year he gets excited finding out which animal the year represents. This year, February 19th 2015 is the year of the Goat/Sheep.
We have been very lucky to have been in China Town, London during the Chinese New Year parade with lions, and dragons and amazing costumes, music and dancing, if you can get there the celebrations this year are on Sunday 22nd February. It is great fun.
The children love Chinese food but we don’t tend to have it very often (Chinese take-aways are a coeliac sufferer’s nightmare) so when I saw a recipe for vegetable spring rolls in the latest John Lewis’ Cook Edition I thought why not treat the children to a home cooked Chinese meal and one that my son can actually eat!
No laughing at my vegetable spring rolls…I admit the photos are not the most flattering but they took a lot longer than I thought they would and I am a complete novice when it comes to deep frying. The children were just a little hungry by the time they were cooked and I was feeling a slightly harassed and hot and bothered.
I used Blue Dragon Spring Roll Wrappers which required soaking before using them which was slightly different to what I was expecting. I am thinking that perhaps I fried them for a bit longer than I should but they kept bubbling up, a bit alien like, which was quite comical, but hey it was part of the learning experience. Next time I might try cooking them in the Tefal Actifry.
As well as lots of accessory inspiration for an authentic Chinese meal (wok, bamboo steamer, julienne peeler, oriental teapot etc) the Cook Edition also has a link to a couple of fab videos on Chinese cooking.
To go with our vegetable spring rolls I made egg fried rice, noodles and this amazing slow cooker Chinese Pulled Beef recipe from Super Golden Bakes. The children loved it. I think I will have to make double next time!
I may not have made the best looking vegetable spring rolls but they tasted great, dare I say it, they tasted like ‘real’ spring rolls you would buy from a Chinese take-away.
Hmmm so mine don’t look quite the way they do in the photo but I think they must have been different wrappers to the ones I had.
Vegetable Spring Rolls recipe
- 600ml groundnut oil
- 1tsp peeled & grated ginger
- 100g shiitake mushrooms
- 100g tinned bamboo shoots, drained & cut into matchsticks
- 50g tinned water chestnuts, drained & sliced
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce (use tamari to keep the spring rolls gluten free)
- 1 tbsp Chinese five spice powder
- 75g beansprouts (check they are gluten free)
- 2 leaves cavolo nero, finely spiced
- 2 spring onions, sliced lengthways
- 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce (omit to keep recipe gluten free)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 24 small spring roll wrappers
- 1 tbsp cornflour mixed with a 1 tbsp water
- Heat a wok on a high heat and add 1 tbsp groundnut oil
- Stir fry the ginger for a few seconds.
- Add the mushrooms, bamboo shoots & water chestnuts to the wok and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Season the mixture with 1 tbsp of soy sauce and the five spice.
- Put the beansprouts, cavolo nero, spring onions & carrot into a bowl, add the mushrooms, bamboo shoots & water chestnuts.
- Add 1tbsp of soy sauce, oyster sauce(not if recipe is gluten free), sesame oil, salt & pepper to the bowl and mix.
- Take 2 spring roll wrappers and lay one on top of the other.
- Spoon 2 tbsp of filling into the centre of the top wrapper & brush each corner with cornflour paste(I found I didn’t need to use this as the wrappers I used were very sticky)
- Fold the wrapper over the mixture and then fold in the sides and roll up.
- Heat the remaining oil in a wok until it reaches 180ºC (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 15 seconds & floats to the surface)
- Fry the spring rolls until golden brown, remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper.
- Serve with sweet chilli sauce.
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post
Oh I love veggie spring rolls! never tried to make them myself yet though, thanks! x
They are very tasty aren’t they 🙂
Lovely looking spring rolls! I’d love to cook them in a healthy way, such as baking or grilling though 🙂
You could steam these ones, or make them with filo pastry and bake 🙂
I love spring rolls and never considered making them myself. They look fairly easy – may attempt it with the kids therefore if they go wrong I can blame it on them ;0)
Let me know how you get on 🙂
We are really into our Chinese food but have never made spring rolls – having seen yours I might need to change that though as these look great – thank you for sharing!
Thank you, I need to try again but they tasted so good
Tonight is our 2nd night in a row eating Chinese Food. I hadn’t even checked what year this year would be but me and hubby are both “rats” ha ha. Loving your photography. Liska xx
I love it too…we just hardly ever have it. Mmmmm could it all again now 😉
I love spring rolls, these look great! xxx
Thank you very much 😀
I love veggie springrolls and these look so yummy. I’ve never tried making them at home thought.
Something different isn’t it 🙂
Your spring rolls look good, I wouldn’t worry about them, and i bet they taste nice too. It would be even better if you can do them in the actifry, or would they fall apart?
Thank you, no they wouldn’t fall apart in the actifry if using an accessory basket.
These looks yummy. Honestly. I love spring rolls, I don’t think I’d be any good at making them though. Well done to you x
I think if I can manage them anyone can 😉
These sound lovely and look amazing, I could eat them right now x
Thanks! 🙂
love spring rolls though i’ve never made tehm!
Me too, love any finger food. 🙂
These turned out great. Spring rolls are one of my favourite food but I’ve never tried making them myself
I love what I call picky bits. 🙂
I love spring rolls but have never thought to make my own.
These look delicious
They were very tasty 🙂
the spring rolls look great. I am thinking of making some this weekend . We usually use samosa pastry instead of spring roll wrappers .
These look great!
Mina, is it easier to work with Samosa pastry?
I think it probably is…will try with that next time
That’s interesting, I think that maybe the ones in the photo were made with that. I will have to try again
Well done for making these, I’m very impressed! I’d love to take the kids to London for Chinese New Year, it’s a huge celebration.
Thanks very much 🙂
to say these are one of my favourite foods i have never attempted to make spring rolls! .. yours look amazing!
Hehe, you are too kind 😀
Those are fab, we love chinese food. So do the kids.
Thanks Emma 🙂
oh i am partial to spring rolls , will be putting this on my to do list
I hope you get to make them 🙂
These look yummy! I haven’t had spring rolls for ages, these look great 🙂
Thanks very much 🙂
Oh I need to come to yours for dinner. That looks delicious
Anytime 🙂 x
Oh my hubby loves spring rolls, I must see if I can make these for him
Let me know how you get on
Ooh I love spring rolls and these look really tasty, and I love the taste of the water chestnuts 🙂
Oh me too! 🙂
These sound lovely and they look pretty good too. I think I might try them with my two. Thanks!
Thank you, I would have liked them to look a little pretty haha. 🙂