Finger food Spring Rolls

At the moment I am on a program that we have in England called the Challenge. It is a three week program of different challenges for teenagers who have finished their exams and have a long summer holiday ahead of them with not much to do. 

It has been REALLY fun, with the first week starting in the Lake District doing canoeing, rock climbing, gorge walking and hiking and this second week taking place at Greenwich university where we have to live on £10 a day and get a feel of what university life is like. Unfortunately living with 5 other people in the flat means I had to put my vegan diet on hold! However now that I am home I can not wait to start it again (I know I never thought I would be excited about being vegan, but it has become a serious passion!) I have a couple of days home and then start my last week which is supposed to be a bit like the young apprentice where we have to create a product and try and sell it for fundraising. 

So, back on track with what this post is actually about, these spring rolls are something that I think are really quick, cheap and easy to make for a meal of finger food! 

These spring rolls are amazingly filling - I ate 3 for lunch and it filled me up! They are full of vegetables so are also really good for you so eat up! :)

Ingredients 

(Makes around 15 - 20 spring rolls) 

• 15 - 20 rice spring rolls wrappers (I used the brand blue dragon) 
• 5 small mushrooms 
• 1 onion 
• 1 carrot (peeled)
• 1 leek 
• 1 garlic cloves 
• 1/2 tsp of ginger 
• 1 tsp of sesame oil 
• 1 tsp of tamari / soy sauce 
• 2 tbsp cornflour 
• 1 bowl of hot water + 2tbs of hot water
• Optional: serve with soy/ tamari sauce 

Method 

1. Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 5 minutes. While they are soaking chop up the onion into very small chunks, the carrots into very fine sticks and the leeks into fine circles. Mince the garlic and add to the chopped vegetables. 
2. Take the mushrooms out and slice them finely. Mix all of the vegetables, cornflour tamari and sesame oil together in a mixing bowl.
3. Put the vegetables in a frying pan with 2 tbs of water and cook them for around 5 minutes. Take them out and put them back in the mixing bowl. Wait around 10mins while they cool down.
4. Dip the rice wrappers into the hot water for a quick moment until softened and workable. 
5. Add around a tbsp of the vegetable mixture to the centre of the rice wrapper. Now for the more tricky bit: Fold the two opposite sides of the wrapper in to the centre then roll up the spring roll (With this really just do it in a way that looks right!) 
6. Heat up a pan to a high heat with a mix of sesame oil and water (I would use around 1 tsp of sesame oil and 2 tsp of water ratio) - if you are not worried about using oil and your calorie intake you can just go ahead a use straight oil with no water. 
7. Steam fry the spring rolls on both sides for around 3 minutes in the pan (do this in batches as you will have a lot) 
8. Then return all the spring rolls to the pan, cover with around 75ml of water and put a lid on the pan. Steam the spring rolls for around 10 - 15 minutes. 
9. The water should have all boiled off, but if it hasn't then don't worry. Take out the spring rolls and serve with tamari or Spring roll sauce (see below recipe). 

Spring Roll Dipping Sauce 

• 3 tbs of tamari 
• 2tbs of brown rice vinegar 
• 1/4 tsp of sesame oil 

Mix together all these ingredients and serve with spring rolls (like the ones above!)