Crispy golden eggrolls filled with an aromatic veggie-licious filling. Perfect for entertaining and also perfect for popping in a hot pan when you want a snack-straight from the freezer.

Background: I work as a chef in a Thai restaurant[hi Kapao]. I wouldn’t normally feel comfortable calling myself a “chef”, because I haven’t had any formal training, but the owner always introduces me to people as “ha-shefit shelanu”( that’s Hebrew for our chef), so I kind of just took it upon myself. Sometimes it’s weird. I feel like people automatically assume that I can cook up a sous vide(what is sous vide again?) filet mignon steak without blinking an eye. Or make a red wine reduction(I’ve never done that BTW) with no cookbook. Or boil pasta and not make it soggy( sometimes still happens).

But then people come from Tel Aviv to eat my curry, and I remember that I am fabulous.

Loving these biodegradable [bamboo plates] for serving.

If you were wondering, I landed this job simply by asking. My best friends and I had been trolling the place for weeks, ordering huge bowls of green curry with an extra side of jasmine rice and fresh Phad Thai’s. We were on first name basis with the boss. We got free tapiocas, and sometimes free beer.

try these other ethnic dishes:

~Nori-wrapped Mochiko Chicken

~Honey Garlic Chicken Katsu

When [said besties] went back to America, and I no longer had a curry-buddy, I decided I might as well learn to make the stuff at home. Peeking over the counter was a little suspicious though, and I was sure the cook was leaving something out when I inquired for instructions. So I asked if they were hiring. 

I said I would start the next day, and, after figuring out a babysitter for my daughter, that’s exactly what I did.

The owner, Nir Hagbi, who is not Thai, but an Israeli, went to Thailand and took various courses, learning the traditional ways of the wok. He taught me everything( well probably not everything-all chefs have their secrets!!).

The restaurant offers two kinds of egg rolls- chicken and vegetarian, and when stock was low, I would sauté up a few huge batches, take out a hundred egg roll wrappers, and start to roll. You would probably think I’d be sick of doing this, but it’s actually I bit therapeutic, and I now can roll them up so fast, a home batch(22-24 rolls) takes a mere few minutes. 

You can watch this super professional video of me rolling a spring roll. It’ll probably be helpful, and a little too small. [Should I start taking real videos??!]

These are stunning to present as an appetizer, and oh-so-delicious! The ingredients are simple but really pack a punch, and after crunching into the first golden roll, you won’t want to stop.

some tips:

1. don’t overcook the vegetables. you want the carrots and sprouts to have  a little crunch, so just sauté them enough to open up the flavors.

2. always individually wrap your rolls when freezing. if you don’t, the wrappers will stick together and be a total pain to break apart. I use the dividers that come with the wrapping sheets-genius!

3. cover the wrappers with a damp towel if not using immediately. open the package of de-frosted wrappers right when your ready to go, otherwise they will dry up very very fast. this causes them to crack, and there goes the egg roll.

4. these can be frozen for a couple weeks at least, but I honestly cant tell you exactly because they always disappear in my house within a few days.

Craving Kosher Thai Food? check out the Kapao website for opening times and reservations.

Golden Spring Rolls

Estee

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Servings 22

Ingredients

  

Veggie Filling

• 1 package eggroll wrappers, defrosted
• 2.5 cup (100 grams) glass noodles(vermicelli)
• 2 Tbs vegetable oil
• 2.5 cup white cabbage shredded/finely sliced

• 2.5 cup carrots shredded(I use the food processor)
• 2.5 cup bean sprouts
• 5 cloves garlic finely chopped

Seasoning

• 2 Tbs sugar
• 2 Tbs Soy sauce
• 2 Tbs mushroom sauce otherwise known as mock oyster sauce
• 1/2 tsp white pepper

Eggroll Glue for rolling

• 2 Tbs white flour
• 5 Tbs Water

Instructions

 

Glass Noodles

• The amount of noodles we are using is half a package. Place in a bowl, cover with water, and let sit for about 20 min. while you prepare the filling.

Veggie Filling

• Heat oil in a wok or extra large pan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, being careful it doesn’t burn.
• Add shredded cabbage, carrots and bean sprouts and cook for about 2 minutes, until vegetables are just starting to wilt. The easiest way to mix such a large amount is to take two wooden spoons and scoop the mix from the sides to the center.
• Add the seasoning- sugar, soy sauce, mushroom sauce, and white pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined. Turn off heat. Drain the glass noodles and cut into 1 1/2 inch strips. Add to the vegetables and mix over medium flame until well combined. Taste! The vegetables should still have a little crunch to them.

Rolling

• Prepare the glue by mixing water and flour together in a small bowl until smooth. Take out one egg roll wrapper at a time(cover the rest with a damp towel to avoid them drying out) 1. place a large spoonful of filling onto the lower third half off the wrapper, closest to you. 2. take the edge closest to you and fold it over the filling, tucking it in as tight as possible without breaking the wrapper. 3.fold in the left side towards the center, and then the right side. 4. roll the whole thing away from you and tuck it under. 5.brush the top half of the wrapper with “glue”, and continue folding up the eggroll.
• place a large spoonful of filling onto the lower third half off the wrapper, closest to you.
• take the edge closest to you and fold it over the filling, tucking it in as tight as possible without breaking the wrapper.
• fold in the left side towards the center, and then the right side.
• roll the whole thing away from you and tuck it under.
• brush the top half of the wrapper with “glue”, and continue folding up the eggroll.

Freeze or Fry

• If freezing, wrap up each individual egg roll in the non stick sheet that came separating the wrappers- this keeps them from sticking together. Place in an air tight container in the freezer. When ready to fry, heat oil and place the rolls in to fry for 5 minutes, turning them halfway through. Place on a paper towel to catch any oil.

Serve

• slice on the diagonal, and lean one half against the other. serve with sweet plum sauce or sweet chili sauce.