Lunar New Year Spring Rolls

Happy Lunar New Year friends! This year is the year of the Ox, which symbolises movement, and in particular good fortune to those working in the metal industry. People born in the year of the Ox (yours truly) are said to be reliable, kind, trustworthy, and also a little stubborn, but we'll leave that last one up to my friends and family to comment on. We have always loved Chinese New Year in our house; Mum has always hung decorations and given red envelopes to children who visit the house. More importantly, we love the dinner that comes with the new year. This year we made our usual pork dumplings and added an extra treat with our first ever attempt at homemade spring rolls, and I have to say I will never buy the frozen alternative again.

These spring rolls are crunchy and full of flavour, and they are so incredibly easy to make. You can really throw in any veggies to make your own flavour combinations, but I would highly recommend keeping the cabbage as it provides some extra 'bulk' to the mixture and maintains the familiar texture of a classic spring roll. I used pork mince for these, but you could easily swap out with chicken or turkey mince, or add some prawn meat to the pork.

You can also freeze these for a few months, so I made extra and put them away for some afternoon munchies this week.

How to Wrap your Spring Rolls:

Wrapping the spring rolls can be tricky at first, but with the right technique you'll be folding up these bad boys in no time. Start with a sheet of spring roll pastry turned on it's side so it forms a diamond in front of you. You can purchase the pastry at your local supermarket in the freezer section. Add 1-2 tablespoons of mixture to the lower centre of the pastry, leaving some room on the sides to fold over. Start wrapping by folding the bottom corner over the mixture, then fold in each side. Be sure to wrap tightly and make sure there are no air bubbles, which will burst in the oil. Roll the pastry forward until there is about 5cm left on the top triangle. Brush the remaining pastry with an egg wash and finish off the roll.

Ingredients:

• 500g Pork Mince

• 1 Pack (20 sheets) Spring Roll Pastry

• 500g White Cabbage, sliced thinly

• 1-2 Carrots, grated

• 200g Cup Mushrooms, chopped in half and sliced thinly

• 2 Tbs Soy Sauce

• 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

• 1 Cup Rice Bran Oil, for frying

• 1 Egg, beaten

Let's Make These Spring Rolls:

1. In a large fry pan or wok, fry off pork until brown, making sure to break up the mince into small pieces.

2. Add the cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, soy sauce, and garlic. Cook for a further 5 minutes, or until cabbage and carrots have wilted and reduced in volume. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and refrigerate for 30 min or until cool.

3. Using the instructions above, wrap the spring rolls and place on a lined baking tray until ready to fry.

4. On a medium heat, heat the oil in a deep saucepan (to avoid splatter), and fry spring rolls until crunchy and golden, around 5 minutes each side. Serve immediately with sweet chilli sauce.