Satisfying spring rolls with noodles

Without a doubt I have mentioned my love for Asian food before. For years Chinese was my number one take away, the clear winner of all others and the one I would always pick if I was the one making the choice. Because I cook practically every day, my birthday treat is a break from the kitchen and that means a take away or a restaurant meal. A take away is normally more practical.

Come to think of it, saying that I always pick Chinese for a take away isn't strictly true. I want to be well enough to enjoy it, so if we are ordering in because I'm too unwell to cook, I prefer a pizza because it is something I can take or leave. A couple of months ago I was thinking back to when we last had a Chinese take away and came to a startling realisation. It was over a year ago. Yes, that means we didn't even have it for my birthday last year. Why? I can't remember.

How come we haven't had it since then though? This is going to sound a bit big headed and I apologise in advance. The reason is that I have picked up a few tricks the last year and learned to cook food that is nicer than the take away (although the salt & chilli ribs are yet to be replicated). Last time we ordered in from the local place, which I must say is very good, I had such high expectations and I was actually disappointed. Perhaps it was the dishes we opted for that time that failed to impress, but I thought my own kitchen attempts had been tastier. How could that be? 

A few weeks ago my birthday rolled around again and what did I go for? Pizza! No longer something I could take or leave, but something I was really looking forward to. Sure, I can make pizza at home, but I tend to make a healthier one with a vegetable base. This time I wanted a proper pizza and it was divine.

Anyway, back to Asia. Thanks to last year's food challenge of cooking something new every week, I learned how to make spring rolls. So easy and so tasty. That time I made chicken one and since then I have played with several kinds of fillings. The version I'm sharing today is with leftover spiced mince that I found in the freezer, just to show that spring rolls are great vessels for whatever you have at home. This mince was originally seasoned with Indian spices, so I added a bit of soy sauce, ground ginger and garlic powder for a touch of Asia. With the spring rolls I decided to serve noodles with loads of vegetables, seasoned with ginger, chilli and soy sauce.

If you think that spring rolls are difficult to make, please have a look at this step by step guide. It really couldn't be easier. You don't have to faff with deep frying. A little bit of oil on a baking tray is more than enough and they cook in 20 minutes. There is really no excuse not to try, unless you don't like spring rolls.

Here is what I used for the spring rolls:

1 pack of filo pastry

1 box of seasoned cooked mince

3/4 of a small leek, finely sliced

1 carrot, mandolined

1 pepper, finely chopped

salt & pepper

ground ginger

garlic powder

soy sauce

Noodles:

1 portion Sharwood fine egg noodles

1 carrot, mandolined

1 pepper, finely chopped

1 bag mangetout, roughly chopped

1/4 of a small leek, finely sliced

1 small piece of ginger, finely chopped

chilli flakes to taste

1. Get the spring roll ingredients ready.

2. Prepare the vegetables.

3. Soften the vegetables in a little oil.

4. Add soy sauce and mix well.

5. Add the mince and mix well. If it is a wet mixture, it needs to cook until it is quite dry or the spring rolls will leak.

6. Cut the filo pastry to size. 

This brand came in rectangular pieces, but that can vary between different brands. The thickness can also differ a lot. This kind is is thick enough for two layers to be enough for a roll. I have used other brands where I needed three layers. 

7. Place two (or three) sheets on top of each other and a bit of filling at one end.

As my eye measurement was way off, I had one stack of sheets that were narrower than the rest. Not to worry. I simply placed the smaller piece on top of the bigger one and it ended up inside the roll. If you have sheets that are frayed or broken, use the same trick.

8. Fold the sides in.

9. Roll it up. Keep it as tight as you can and try not to split the pastry. Be gentle.

10. If there is any leftover filling, save it for the noodles.

11. Add approximately 1 tbsp oil on a baking tray and heat it up in the oven to make the oil more liquid. Roll the spring rolls once in the oil to coat them and place them in neat rows. You really don't need a lot of oil. Pop the tray in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

12. Get the vegetables for the noodles ready.

13. Prepare the vegetables.

14. Turn the spring rolls over and cook for another 10 minutes.

You can see that a few of mine split. That's due to wet filling. This is something you want to avoid. It won't affect the taste, but it doesn't look very nice.

15. Soften the vegetables in a little oil. Season. Boil the noodles.

My usual trio for Chinese cooking is chilli, garlic and ginger, but as I had leftover mince from the spring rolls, I used that as seasoning, along with some chilli flakes. 

16. Rescue the spring rolls from the oven and set aside to cook down for minute.

17. Add the leftover filling and the noodles to the vegetables. Mix well.

18. Serve and enjoy.

This is one of my absolute favourite Asian meals. The good thing is that the spring rolls freeze well, so I normally make plenty. To heat them up, they need to at least half defrost and be baked in the oven for approximately 15 minutes to crisp up. If you ping them in the microwave they will be soft, but still tasty.