Spring Rolls (vegetarian)

Serves: 4
Cost per person: 1.5 zl (30 UK pence, 50 cent - yo, b**ch, mofo)

Decided to go for rice paper rather than filo for a more authentic SE Asia experience. Lifted the recipe out of the rather bland Vietnamese version into a more vibrant Thai vibe. Spring rolls make a handy snack or accompaniment to a meal - they can be made in advance and then frozen. Just whip them out the freezer and deep fry whenever you fancy - no defrosting required.

In Poland, they call them "Sajgonki" (little Saigons), which is kind of cute...

Anyway, what you need are:

Vermicelli (thin rice noodles)

Some vegetables you happen to have lying around - cut them up finely or grate. Plus, you'll need a good splash of fish sauce, finely chopped chives or spring onion, minced ginger and one finely chopped red chilli for seasoning.

I've used grated carrot and beetroot plus some finely diced red pepper for this version but you could use more or less anything you have lying around in the fridge.

You'll also need some rice paper, which works out very cheap.

Summary of ingredients:

- vermicelli
- rice paper
- mixed veg finely chopped or grated
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 finely chopped red chilli
- 2 tsp finely chopped chives or spring onion
- good splash of fish sauce
- good splash of soy sauce
- good splash of rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp brown or palm sugar
- 1 sliced green chilli

Let's go!

1. Prep the vegetables as above. Soak the vermicelli in boiled water for around 5 minutes until soft. Drain in a colander. 

2. Mix the vegetables in a bowl with the fish sauce.

3. Now you'll need a tray with some warm water in the bottom. Soak one of the rice papers in there for around 30 seconds until it's soft.

4. Pull the paper out carefully - don't tear! Place flat on a work surface. Add a couple of teaspoons of the veg mix as shown.

5. Roll upwards as tight as you can about 1/3 of the way.

6. Fold in the sides so that they overlap. It's important that they overlap - if not, you'll encounter some structural weakness in the middle and they'll probably rip there during frying. 

7. Now roll all the way up to the top.

8. Carry on rolling till you've exhausted your supply of vegetable mix. Place the rolls on a plate covered with a plastic bag (to avoid the rolls sticking to the plate while freezing) and place in the freezer.

9. Make a dip using one sliced green chilli, 1/2 tsp brown (or palm) sugar, a good splash of rice vinegar and an equally fine splash of soy sauce. This gives you a nice dip with a contrast of sour, sweet, salty and hot - the classic flavours of SE Asia.

10. Heat up some oil for deep frying to a medium heat. Add the spring rolls one by one and make sure to keep them from touching during the initial stages of cooking or they'll stick together. Cook for around 5-7 minutes until the rice paper has crisped up nicely. Drain on kitchen roll.

11. Serve with the dip and enjoy!

Costing:

- vermicelli and rice paper: 1 zl
- mixed veg and seasonings: 2 zl
- the rest: 1 zl
- the oil: 2 zl

Total: 6 zl
Serves: 4
Total per person: 1.5 zl