Veggie Spring Rolls - Indian Restaurant Style

Raise your hands if you go sit in an Indian chinese restaurant and order a plate of veggie spring rolls even before you look at the rest of the menu. Can you see both my hands are up? I had to get them down to type. But, yes - I always order these - my favorite places to eat these are in Golden Dragon Chinese restautrant in Salem and Rangis in Chennai. Love Love those.

The thing about these in the US is that anyone and everyone who make these conveniently use the spring roll wrappers available in the market. Restaurants included. Not that I'm complaining but its been such a long time since I had these spring rolls golden dragon style. Finally I figured out how they make it. The main difference between these and the wonton wrapper rolls style is that these are softer on the outside and not as crispy as the wontons. You bite into the wonton wrapper rolls and you are guaranteed that a couple of crumbs would fall down. But, these..oh baby..these give you a complete bite - eat them hot and you can't resist a hmmm..or a yummm..or a wowwww...guaranteed!

Now, would I make this every time I make spring rolls? Probably not. Because they are a little time consuming and also because the only way to make these is to deep fry them. The wrappers however, are quick to make and can also be baked to make a healthier version. But, would I make this once in a few blue moons - oh yes. Bet on it.

These kind of rolls can be made in two ways - one is this below and the other method is to make a dough with all purpose flour and then to roll them out in circles and then fill and fry. I'll try the other method too sometime and blog about it. But for now, this is the chosen one. This recipe is conceptually adapted from the Indian Food Forever site here.

Let's start with making the filling. Cut these 4 veggies into thin long strips - Onions, Bell Peppers, Cabbage and Carrots. You can add long cut strips of green beans, broccoli, mushrooms or other veggies that would taste good in a spring roll. You could also add sprouts if you'd like. These are all hand cut here below. To cut carrots into long shreds like this - first cut them diagonally into long slices or discs and then cut each slice into really thin strips.

Start with sauteing the onions, then add bell pepper and then the other veggies. Sprinkle salt to taste. Add 1 tsp of soy sauce for some flavor. And then its up to you if you want to add more seasonings. I kept it simple and it was perfect.

Cook for a few mins until its semi done and then remove and place in a separate bowl and let it cool down.

Now for the wrappers. Take 1 cup of all purpose flour in a mixing bowl.

And then add 1/4 cup of Corn flour to the bowl.

Then, add about 1-2 tbsp of rice flour along with the other - this helps in getting a crispier outside.

Now, you'll need to add one egg. If you don't eat eggs, skip this part and add some baking soda maybe to help it rise a little.

Beat the egg well.

Add it to the flour. Also, sprinkle salt to taste.

Mix well thoroughly making sure there are no lumps

The batter needs to be a pouring consistency like this - not too thin and not too thick.

Now, in a pan pour a ladle of the batter in the center and quickly lift up the pan and twirl it around so that the batter spreads evenly into a circle.

Let it cook for a min - until you start seeing these small holes. Flip over and cook for a min. Make sure you don't crisp them up too much - they should still be soft to touch like a pancake. If you make it crisp - it would just break while trying to roll them up. And then don't tell me that I didn't tell you. Hehe..

Stack em up.

The stack does deserve its own profile pictures. Please pardon our love for each other.

Now, let's get to making the rolls.

Pick a spoonful of the filling and place it in the center.

Gently start rolling from one side. These could tear easily - so go gentle on them.

Fold over one side on top of the rolled edge. And then fold over the other side too and make a pocket.

In order to seal the roll, add a paste of flour and water mixture to the edges.

And then seal shut. Now, these are ready to be fried. Make a few of these before you start frying.

Fry one or two at a time. Fry until they turn golden.

Like these. Don't you want to say a hmmm...now? Go on say it.

Serve hot with a side of hot'n sweet sauce or ketchup. Or just eat them like that. Who cares what's on the side?

They did bring back memories of all my days of chowing these down back in India. 

Sorry I could not get more pictures - served these as appetizers for my guests and these were the only quick pictures I could click.

Enjoy. Peace Out!