Springrolls with smoked chicken
While the rain keeps pouring down outside I was very much in the mood for something that would give me a bit of a spring feeling. I mean; I don’t mind winter but the current weather is too miserable! Ofcourse I am officially not allowed to complain as we are leaving on our trip to Costa Rica on saturday so I will have to endure only two more days of rain before (hopefully) enjoying some sunshine. It’s been a rather weird week. Tom’s grandma died very unexpectedly last friday at the age of 88. And while that is respectable age it still always comes as a surprise. Just a week before we had celebrated her 88th birthday with the entire family and she was in fairly good health (taking her age into consideration) and no matter how much you know it is coming; it is always hard to lose a loved one.
The cremation is this friday, so the day before we leave. Which means that on the one hand I am busy packing but on the other hand there is that…. Plus Tom has been busy getting into trainings at his new job and he hasn’t stayed home for the first part of the week. So all in all, it’s been a weird week. But all weeks come to an end and this one will end as well.. 🙂
So on to this springy little dish. I saw the original recipe online at the Good Food website but didn’t feel like eating prawns which was in the original. I imagine it will be great with prawns too but since I was in the process of getting rid of the content of our fridge and had some leftover chicken, that is what I used. And well, what can I say about these rolls other then; what’s not to love? They taste incredibly nice and the good things about springrolls is that you can fill them with whatever you like.
I use fillopastry to make the rolls but I still have some ricepaper too which I am dying to use for the next time. I am thinking of making steamed ones so they become translucent. I like the baked ones better but I think the steamed ones just look so pretty! See through and everything!
So how to make these little darlings? It’s not hard at all and here’s what you need:
Spring rolls with smoked chicken
Ingredients
- bundle dried thread rice noodles about 60g
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 300 g pack fresh stir-fry vegetables - go for a leafy mix
- half finger-length fresh root ginger grated
- small bunch coriander stalks finely sliced, leaves roughly chopped
- 200 g smoked chicken or chicken fillet whichever you prefer
- 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce plus extra to serve
- 8 small sheets filo pastry
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds optional
- Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Cook the noodles according to pack instructions. Heat 1 tsp oil in a large wok or non-stick frying pan. Stir-fry the vegetables, ginger and coriander stalks for 3-4 mins until almost cooked, but still with a little crunch. Throw in the chicken if using smoked chicken, if you're using raw chicken fillet you might want to prepare those ahead to make sure they are cooked through, then stir in the sweet chilli sauce, coriander leaves and noodles and remove from the heat.
- I always struggle with fillopastry as it dries so quickly once you take it out of the freezer and if you handle it took quickly it breaks easily, so make sure it if defrosted under a sheet of plastic to prevent it drying out and breaking while rolling them. Brush 4 sheets of filo with a little of the oil, then cover with the remaining sheets. Pile a quarter of your chicken mixture along the narrow edge of each sheet, fold over the edges, then roll up to give you 4 large spring rolls. These can now be frozen for up to 1 month; defrost thoroughly before cooking as below. Brush with the remaining oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds if using, then bake on a baking sheet, seam-side down, for 15 mins until golden and crisp. Serve with a green salad, and a good dollop of extra chilli sauce on the side.
Disclaimer
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
