Spring Roll (春卷)

Spring roll. Why is it not "winter" roll? Ever wonder how did it got its name? I did a little search and found that it was originally given a generic name - "spring dish"(春菜) and not "roll"(卷). Some believe that they were made with vegetables that first grew out of the soil in Spring; so "spring vegetables" goes into "spring dish". While some believe that this dish was eaten on the first day of Spring which is also known as Spring Festival (春节) (more commonly known as Lunar or Chinese New Year in Singapore), therefore known as a "spring dish". From there, the name evolved into "Spring Roll" since the dish itself is rolled and it has the double meaning of either "Spring in a roll" or "Roll of Spring", very poetic. Personally, I believe both the hypothesis should be accepted. To me, it makes most sense that our ancestors used vegetables that first grew out of the spring soil, made it into a roll and ate them on the first day of Spring to celebrate! Whatever it is, I'm glad I don't have to wait for Spring to eat spring rolls now. =P

Albeit its Chinese roots, Spring Rolls can be seen all over the world now, with different vegetables and maybe some meat. I do find it interesting that in America, they are sometimes known as Egg Rolls which are actually a thin, sweet and crispy waffle that are rolled into cylindrical shapes before cooling down. A sweet pastry snack usually eaten during "Spring Festival" (CNY) too but totally from the deep-fried, savoury Spring roll. If you know how the confusion began, do share with me.

There are namely 2 different kind of spring rolls in Singapore, the deep fried one and the cooked one. Although in some countries, the cooked version is called "Po Piah" (薄饼) (literally translated to thin biscuit) but in Singapore, the 2 types of rolls use the 2 names interchangeably. So if it's your first time visiting Southeast Asia, do ask if the rolls are deep fried or pre-cooked when you order "popiah" or "spring roll".

Since I still have leftover spring roll skins from making Samosas and Spicy Dried Shrimp Rolls, spring rolls came to my mind naturally when I thought of finishing up the skins. The ingredients are very easy to gather. So being fat and lazy, I don't have to step out of the house and go under the blazing sun do to grocery shopping. Haha.. =D You can make this into a party food by simply making it into bite-sizes, just quarter a piece of spring roll skin and you're good to go.

Spring Roll aka Popiah (makes 10 large rolls)
(Please credit if you've enjoyed it. Thank you!)

   10       Spring roll skins
  1 kg     Turnip, shredded
 300g     Carrots, shredded
   50g     Dried Shrimps, soaked for 20mins
   15g     Garlic, minced
    1        Egg, beaten
  1tbsp   Vegetable oil
Light Soya Sauce and White Pepper to taste

1. Heat vegetable oil over Medium heat, stir fry minced Garlic till fragrant. Add in the Dried shrimps, reserve the water, continue stir frying till fragrant.

2. Add in the shredded Turnip and Carrots. Keep the mixture moving for about 5mins, maintaining heat throughout the vegetables due to the large portion.


3. After the vegetables soften slightly, add in the water you used to soak the dried shrimps. I added about 150g of water. Season to taste with Light Soya sauce and White Pepper, I like mine peppery so I always add lots of pepper. Turn to Low heat, cover with wok lid and steam for 5-10mins till vegetables are soft.

4. Heat off and let cool the vegetables in a strainer to drain off excess water. Assemble the spring roll when the veggies are completely cooled.

5. Assembling a spring roll is the same as rolling the Spicy Dried Shrimp rolls. Place a piece of spring roll skin with 1 corner pointing to you, put 2 large tablespoonfuls of veggies in the middle and fold in the corners, bottom -> right -> left. Maintain a tight grip and roll up tightly. Egg wash the last corner before finishing the roll.

6. Deep fry the rolls over Medium High heat till golden brown. I "air fried" mine for about 20mins at 200º C.

Just like how my ah gong (grandfather) makes his although this time, mine wasn't crispy as usual due to "deep-frying" in the "air fryer". While on this subject, I have to say that the air fryer is NOT a substitute for the conventional "deep-frying-in-oil" method as the advertisement espouses. It might be healthier since no oil is used but the results is the same as if I were to bake them. Heck, why do I need an air fryer to "bake" my deep-fried goodies when I have an oven? Waste of moolah if you ask me. But if your family does a lot of frozen deep-fried goodies (e.g. nuggets, seaweed chicken, etc.) for dinners or snacks, somehow the air fryer does a decent job. /shrug Although I still say I can bake those if I want them to be healthier too. Meh... gimmick (and we fell for it *facepalm*). 

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