Hello from Bangkok! In honor of my move to Asia, a tribute to this traditional pan-regional snack. And obligatory haikus (otherwise known as the only form of Asian poetry with which I am familiar, if you have others feel free to add them in the comments!):
Haiku #1:
Egg rolls are the bomb
Packed with flavor they sizzle
Even without eggs
Haiku #2:
Spring roll for summer
Still yummy have a nibble
Taste bud beams delight
Haiku #3:
Hot dusty streets here
I stop by a street vendor
Fried rolls for dinner
Haiku #4:
Pork and veg filling
Bundled in delightful wraps
Deep-fried to light brown
Okay I’m out. Your turn!
J/k. I was originally going to try these using a kind of potsticker dough, but decided it would be easier to make crepe-like wrappers - so the next time you're making crepes, just double the recipe and you'll have enough to make these lovelies. It's worth it to be able to come home to your own egg rolls, I'll tell you that much.
- Tapioca crepes/spring roll wrappers (makes ~6-8)
- 1.5 c tapioca flour (could work w/ arrowroot starch too, but haven't tried yet)
- 1.5 c water
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tb olive oil
- Regular crepes/egg roll wrappers
- 1 c tigernut flour
- ½ c cassava flour
- ½ c tapioca fl
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- 1.5 - 2 c water
- 1.5 tb olive oil
- Egg/spring roll filling (modifiable)
- sweet potato noodles
- cabbage
- bok choy
- onion
- scallions
- garlic
- ginger
- coconut aminos
- sea salt
- lemon/apple cider vinegar
- chopped pork belly/ground meat
- garlic stems
- Oil/fat for frying (I used a mixture of avocado, olive, coconut oil, beef tallow, and pastured lard (totally unnecessary to use all of these, I was just using up oils pre-moving which is usually when I end up frying stuff).
- Pre-cook your egg/spring roll filling. You can use pretty much anything - I sauteed some garlic, ginger, onions/scallions with cabbage, bok choy, pre-cooked pork belly and japchae noodles - season to taste, and let cool (not a bad idea to do this the day/night before).
- For your wrappers, mix the ingredients well. Heat up a flat-bottom non-stick pan over medium heat. Pour about ¼ c of batter (should be liquid-y, like crepe batter) onto the pan. Let cook for a couple minutes, and flip once the crepe is holding together and can be flipped (you don't want to overcook it or it'll be impossible to roll/will crack, but also not undercook it too much or it'll be too soft/sticky to work with).
- Put about 1 tb of filling near the bottom of the crepe and roll, burrito style. You need to roll these tight and ensure there are no air gaps otherwise they will leak or come apart while frying in dramatic fashion (trust me on this one). Seal using some coconut milk mixed with tapioca/arrowroot.
- Once all the rolls are ready, heat up enough oil to cover the rolls (~3/4 - 1 inch deep or more) over medium heat in a deep pot. (You can skimp on oil but just make sure to turn the rolls so they cook evenly.)
- When the oil is hot (drop of water sizzles), fry rolls a couple at a time. Fry until rolls start to brown (~5 minutes), but be careful because the longer they fry the greater the chances that they may leak. For best results, finish in oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for ten minutes or so (helps to retain crispiness). Bake and rest on a wire rack.
- Serve with coconut aminos or dipping sauce of choice.
Laying out the tapioca crepe (spring roll) wrappers so they don’t stick to each other
This post has been shared on Phoenix Helix’s Paleo-AIP roundtable.
I have been craving spring rolls so badly lately… But now I’m wondering if there’s any magic tips for making the spring roll wrappers? I can see myself making an atrocious mess of that…
Here’s one:
Missing the noodles
I am despondant again
Julie for the save!
😀
Ack, I misspelled despondent! Oh well… Serves me right for not checking when it looked wrong to me.
Hi Julie,
How I missed this recipe I do not know. AAAAAmmaazing yum. 5 stars all round and big thanks from us for another winner to put on rotation. Only negative was cleaning up the kitchen (note to self really need to buy one of those anti splatter things for when I fry.
Thanks
this is exactly the book I have been looking for.
Wish I could buy your book. There are technical problems with PalPal preventing me. It just spins off into lala land.
Are you on Amazon or anywhere else?
Hi, just wondering if these rolls could be steamed rather than fried? Thanks 🙂 They look great!