Tarun Kapoor is executive chef at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel. Send your feedback to:
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Spring rolls are the one of the oldest and most liked appetisers originating from China and its neighbouring region. A thin flour sheet wrapped around noodles, vegetables or meat and deep fried is called a spring roll. They are famous throughout the world owing to their numerous variations and the easy of serving them hot, not only easy to prepare they are also a delight to your taste buds.
In Chinese cuisine, spring rolls are savoury rolls with cabbage and other vegetables inside which originates from northern China. The name spring roll originated from the time of the year they are traditionally served ie during the traditional Spring Festival in China.
You can prepare spring rolls well in advance and can keep them frozen until you need them to be served, just deep fry to golden brown colour in medium hot oil and serve with a choice of sauce or ketchup. The golden rules to be kept in mind for a good spring roll is to keep them bite size, make sure the filling is flavourful using Chinese sauces and make sure they are served crispy hot. Also be careful, while rolling the spring rolls, keep the spring roll sheets under damp cloth or paper towel. They dry out very easily. If they dry out, they break apart while rolling them.
Chicken spring rolls
Ingredients
Spring roll sheets 1 pkt
Chicken mince 250g
Cabbage 750g
Garlic, chopped 1tbsp
Ginger, chopped ½ tbsp
Oil 2 tbsp
Carrot, grated 1no
Capsicum green 1no
Soy sauce 1tsp
Hoisin sauce ½ tsp
Coriander, chopped 1 tbsp
Oil for frying (as required)
Salt to taste
Corn flour 3 tbsp
Method
Heat oil in a skillet over high heat, add ginger, garlic, chicken and stir fry for 5-8 minutes.
Add small diced cabbage and grated carrot and cook over till the vegetables are soft.
Cook for 2 minutes or until the cabbage is just soft and the chicken is cooked, drizzle soy sauce and hoisin sauce and toss well.
Remove from heat and allow to cool, toss in chopped coriander.
Keep in a perforated tray to remove excess moisture.
Divide the spring roll sheet into half and then again into half to get equal sized squares.
Place a spring roll wrapper on flat surface with one corner facing towards you.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of filling near the bottom corner of wrapper and fold up to enclose the filling also fold in the sides.
Secure the wrapper end with flour and water paste.
Once all the rolls are prepared deep fry to golden brown and crispy, serve with choice of sauce.
Pancakes
A food that does not need any recognition as it dates back to the times when humans started milling the wheat and invented griddles and pans. However, to define pancake, you can call it a flat cake made of thin batter cooked on griddle on both sides. The supermarket shelves are full of a variety of pancake premixes which only involves you to add milk, fat to cook the pancake.
They usually comprise a blend of flours, leavening agent, fat, flavouring and eggs. But there is always an ongoing competition among cooks to make their recipes better and varied from others. A variety of sweet and savoury flavourings or fruit purees can be used as a topping and they are traditionally served with whipped cream, maple syrup, honey and jam.
Pancakes have evolved into many similar forms like crepes, potato pancakes, Irish boxty, Russian blini, Indian poori, Hungarian palascinta, American corn flapjacks and many more.
Pancake
Ingredients
All-purpose flour 1½ cup
Baking powder 3tsp
Salt to taste
Castor sugar 1tbsp
Milk 1½ cup
Egg 1 no
Butter (melted) 3 tbsp
Maple syrup ¼ cup
Honey ¼ cup
Whipped cream 1 cup
Method
In a bowl sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, keep aside.
In a separate bowl combine milk, egg and melted butter until all mixed.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the milk mixture and whisk to make it smooth and lump free.
Heat and lightly oil a griddle or nonstick pan over medium heat.
Pour approximately ¼ cup batter for each pancake on griddle.
Once cooked on one side flip to cook from other side also and cook till light brown colour.
Serve hot with choice of whipped cream or fruit jam or maple syrup or honey or a combination of all these.
Crispy chicken rolls
