Vegetable Spring Roll & Thai Chicken Cakes

Makes: 10 to 12 spring roll wrappers

Total Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornflour
• 3/4 cup water or more to make a smooth batter
• A pinch salt substitute (if available)

Method

1. Combine the plain flour, cornflour, water and salt in a bowl and whisk well until well combined and there are no lumps. The batter will be runny.

2. Heat and grease a non-stick pan with oil. Once the pan is hot, with heat on medium, pour a ladle of the batter into the pan and tilt the pan around quickly to make a thin circle.

3. Cook on medium heat until you see the sides are beginning to peel off. When the sides begin to peel off, turn the wrapper and cook on the other side for a few seconds.

4. Repeat with the remaining batter to make more wrappers. Stack the Spring Roll wrappers one above the other between grease proof paper and store in an airtight container.

LSF Note:

We added a little more water to make it slightly runnier, this helped spread the mixture in my pan. After trial and error we used a 20cm pan. This allowed us to make perfectly round wrappers which helped when we were rolling the spring rolls.

SPRING ROLL FILLING

Ingredients

• Thinly sliced Cabbage
• Thinly sliced Onion
• Thinly sliced Carrot
• Flour paste - 3 tablespoons plain flour dissolved in 1/4 cup water
• Oil for deep frying

Method

1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok on high heat. Add in the cabbage, carrots, onions.  Sauté the vegetables on high heat until lightly softened.

2. Transfer to another bowl/baking tray. Allow the mixture to cool completely.

3. Place each spring roll wrapper on a flat surface. Apply a little flour paste along the edges of the wrapper. Place a tablespoon of the filling in the bottom third of the wrapper.

4. Fold in from the bottom and begin rolling until you reach the centre. When you reach the centre, fold the ends arising from the centre.

5. At this stage, apply the flour paste again on the edges and roll until you reach the end. Make sure the edges are sealed well. The flour paste is important as it helps to seal the spring rolls so they don't open up when deep-fried.

6. Repeat the same process and proceed to make the rest of the spring rolls.

7. Preheat the oil for deep frying; add in a few rolls at a time and deep fry on medium heat until golden brown in colour.

8. Serve the Vegetable Spring Rolls as a party snack along with your favourite sweet chilli sauce or condiment.

Thai Chicken Cakes

Makes 24 cakes

Ingredients

• 500g chicken mince
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup (35g) fresh breadcrumbs (can be substituted for rice crumbs or corn crumbs if required)
• 1 Tbs red curry paste (see below for Curry Paste Recipe)
• 2 Tbs finely chopped coriander root
• 1 small red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
• 4 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup (60ml) sunflower oil
• Iceberg lettuce, lime wedges and sweet chilli sauce, to serve

Method

1. Place the mince, egg, breadcrumbs, curry paste, coriander root, chilli and spring onion in a bowl and use your hands to combine.

2. Using tablespoons of mixture shape into 24 small patties, pressing to flatten slightly. Transfer to a large baking tray and chill for 15 minutes.

3. Heat oil in a frypan over medium-high heat. Cook the patties for 2 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

4. Serve cakes with the lettuce leaves, lime wedges and sweet chilli sauce.

Thai Red Curry Paste

Makes 6 serving

Ingredients

• 5 red chillies
• 2tsp ground paprika
• 2Tbs finely chopped lemongrass (can use jarred lemongrass, Valcom brand)
• 1tsp finely chopped lime leaves (Kaffir)
• 5 small red shallots, diced
• 1Tbs chopped fresh galangal
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1Tbs chopped fresh coriander root and stem
• Pinch of freshly grated lime zest
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• Pinch of white pepper and salt substitute (if available)
• 1Tsp water

Method

Add all ingredients into a food processor and blend at high speed until a paste forms (add more water if necessary)

Tip: Store your unused paste in an ice cube tray in your freezer.  1 standard frozen icecube curry paste = 1Tsb

Condiments available from Low Sodium Foods www.lowsodiumfoods.com.au