Chicken spring rolls
Serve these crispy chicken spring rolls as they are, with their tangy dipping sauce, or pimp them up with a selection of toppings for a party plate.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 5cm/2in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
- 150g/5½oz white cabbage, finely shredded
- 50g/1¾oz green beans, cut into thin strips
- 1 carrot, peeled and julienned
- 150g/5½oz chicken mince
- 2 tsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp cane vinegar
- 2 tsp toyomansi
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 10 spring roll wrappers
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
For the dipping sauce
- 2 tbsp toyomansi
- 1 tbsp cane vinegar
- few drops fish sauce
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 spring onion, greens only, thinly sliced
For the toppings
- Japanese mayonnaise, to drizzle generously
- Filipino banana ketchup, to drizzle generously
- 1 tbsp pink pickled ginger
- handful crispy fried onions
- 2 spring onions, sliced thinly on the diagonal
Method
Heat the sesame oil over a medium–high heat in a large frying pan. Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further 2 minutes until fragrant.
Add the cabbage, beans and carrot and stir-fry for a minute, then add the chicken mince and stir-fry for 5 minutes, until well cooked.
Mix together the oyster sauce, soy, vinegar, toyomansi, fish sauce and brown sugar. Pour into the chicken and vegetables and stir-fry for a few minutes until there is no excess liquid. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely.
To make the dipping sauce, mix the toyomansi, vinegar, fish sauce and brown sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Stir through the coriander and set aside.
Lay a spring roll wrapper in front of you in a diamond shape and lightly brush the edges with water. Add 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture, about 5cm/2in from the bottom point. Fold the bottom point over the filling and tightly roll a few times until you have reached halfway. Fold the side corners tightly into the middle of the roll, then finish rolling up until fully sealed. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
Preheat a deep-fat fryer to 190C. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
Deep-fry the spring rolls in batches for 3 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Carefully remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper.
Slice each spring roll in half on the diagonal and arrange on a long presentation plate or board. Drizzle over lines of mayonnaise and ketchup and top with pickled ginger, crispy onions and spring onions. Finish the dipping sauce by adding the sesame seeds and spring onion greens.
