Fried Spring Rolls

PREP TIME
45 mins

COOK TIME
40 mins

CHILLING  TIME
90 mins

TOTAL TIME
2 hrs 55 mins

Main Items required

SERVINGS45 spring rolls

Well-chilled but not quite frozen pork is much easier to cut than pork at room temp or even straight out of the fridge. Place your pork in the freezer to firm up, about 20 minutes, prior to cutting.

To make efficient use of your time: prepare the cabbage, carrots, scallions, and ginger while the mushrooms are soaking, and the meat is marinating. Be sure to clean your cutting board and knife after you’ve cut the meat to avoid cross contamination.

Ingredients

  • 300g pack cooked rice noodles (see tips)
  • about 400g mixed vegetables, such as red peppers, beansprouts, carrots, Chinese leaf cabbage and spring onions, thinly sliced
  • 140g cooked prawns
  • 100g cooked chicken or duck, shredded
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • small piece ginger, finely chopped
  • splash light soy sauce
  • Chinese five-spice powder, for sprinkling
  • 8-10 sheets of brik or filo pastry (see tips)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • sesame seeds, for sprinkling (optional)
  • Cock Sweet Chilli sauce for Spring Rolls

For the dipping sauce

  • 100g reduced salt and sugar ketchup
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • small piece ginger, grated
  • pinch of caster sugar
  • STEP 1

    Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Before you get the kids cooking, put the noodles, vegetables, prawns and chicken in individual bowls for everyone to help themselves. Get everyone to wash their hands and put aprons on. Sit the kids down and give them their own mixing bowl and spoon. Let them choose which ingredients they want (noodles are essential) in their rolls and if they want to graze as they choose, that’s fine – all the ingredients are cooked or can be eaten raw. Add a bit of garlic and ginger, a tiny dash of soy and sprinkling of five-spice to each bowl and let them mix everything together.

  • STEP 2

    Push the bowl aside and lay a sheet of pastry in front of each child. Ask them to spoon the filling down one side of each sheet, then give them the beaten egg and a brush so they can brush around the edges. Help them to roll the pastry up neatly by folding both sides over the filling, then rolling them up.

  • STEP 3

    Lift the spring rolls onto a baking tray, seam-side down, brush with a little more egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if you like. Try to remember which child made which roll to save any arguments at the end! Bake for 20-25 mins or until golden.

  • STEP 4

    While the rolls are in the oven, make the dipping sauce. Get the kids to mix all the ingredients together until the sugar has dissolved. When the spring rolls are golden and crisp, remove from the oven. Leave until cool enough to handle, cut into pieces for smaller kids, then let them eat, dipping the rolls into the sauce.

RECIPE TIPS
NOODLES
You’ll find ready-cooked rice noodles in the chiller cabinet at larger supermarkets. If you can’t find them, simply soak a bundle of thin rice noodles in kettle-hot water for 5 mins, then drain and toss in a little oil and leave to cool.
PASTRY
Brik pastry is a paper-thin north African pastry similar to filo. Find it in Waitrose, Ocado and Middle Eastern shops. It’s easier for kids to work with, but if you can’t find it, use filo pastry. You’ll need to help the kids work fast as filo becomes brittle quickly. Keep sheets that aren’t being used under a damp cloth to stop them drying out.