Veg Spring Roll - Indian Chinese Recipe

Spring Rolls originally came from china, which in china is known as CHUN JUAN, meaning SPRING ROLL. They are a larger (in size) version of filled dim sum, found steamed as well as fried. It is such believed that spring rolls were consumed during the spring as seasonal food, celebrating the change after long long winter.

New seasonal vegetables were filled in a pan cake then steamed or baked before eating. In china spring rolls are savory rolls filled with cabbage and seasonal veggies, rolled in a thin cylindrical shaped patty, later variety of minced meat took over vegetables.

Gradually other Asian cities took this dish from main China into their own cuisine and designed it in their way of having spring roll, like in Hong Kong and Macau you will get spring rolls which are deep fried and filled with carrots, beans and minced pork, served with Worcestershire sauce and in Taiwan spring rolls are known as POPIAH, which are stir fried then topped with ground peanut powder, flavored herbs and served with soy sauce.

When the Chinese came to India for business and trading they bought this tasty dish from their cuisine to the Indian cuisine, and as Indians are great inventors they accepted this food and then re-invented it with a whole new taste, which included the use of many spices and different versions of spring rolls came out, like the non veg version where chicken meat is usually used and the veg version where cabbage is the main ingredient.

You will be surprised to know that in India their is a Chinese version of spring roll available, which has noodles filled inside the deep fried dim sum.

Thus today in my recipe you will see how to make Veg Spring Roll, the Chinese dish with an Indian Twist. Let's Begin....

There are two constituents of the veg spring roll.

1. The Spring Roll Sheet
2. The Filling or Stuffing

I am breaking the Ingredient and Step for each of them, so that it is easy for you to follow. Hope you all will enjoy this tasty savory at the earliest.

Ingredients and Steps to make the Stuffing / Filling:

Heat up a pan

• Add 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• Add 4 - 5 cloves of garlic

Fry the garlic until light brown.

• Add 1 full cabbage - julienne cut
• Add 3 green capsicum - julienne cut
• Add 2 carrots - julienne cut and half boiled
  
• Add 100g green beans - julienne cut and half boiled
• Add 50g spring onion - chopped (seasonal)
  

Cook and fry for 2 to 3 minutes.

• Add 50g boiled noodles (optional)
• Add 50g crushed paneer (cottage cheese - optional)
• Add 2 pinch of ajinomoto (monosodium glutamate salt)
• Add 2 pinch of white pepper
• Add 1/2 tsp vinegar
• Add 1 tsp tomato sauce (ketchup)
• Add 1 tsp red chilli sauce
• Add 1/2 tsp soya sauce

Mix well and cook for 2 minutes

Stuffing or Filling is ready.

Ingredients and Steps to make the Sheets:

Take a big bowl.

• Add 3 tbsp maida (all purpose flour)
• Add 3 tbsp corn flour
• Add salt to taste

Mix properly

• Add water, little by little

Make a batter, neither too thick nor too liquid or watery.

Heat up a frying pan.

Once pan is well heated.

Switch off the gas flame.

Put little batter in the pan.

Roll the pan in a circular manner, so that the batter spreads and evenly all over.

Now switch on your gas flame.

Cook the sheet until it leaves the base of the frying pan.

Use little batter, to make thin sheets.

Take out the sheet and keep it on a plate.

Put the stuffing / filling on one side of the sheet.

Roll the sheet, wrap it from the sides.

Roll it to completely seal the filling / stuffing inside.

Use water as glue - if required, to paste or stick the last rolled end of the sheet to its body.

Heat up a deep frying pan on low flame.

Add oil - sufficient for deep frying purpose.

Make sure oil does not get too hot.

Fry the spring roll.

Spring roll should get evenly fried, for which turn sides, while frying.

Once you see the spring roll is light brown in color from all sides.

Take out the rolls, staining any excess oil.

Veg Spring Roll is ready to be served with ketchup or schezwan sauce. You can even serve little mayonnaise and / or cheese dip along.