Hairy Bikers Spring Rolls Recipe

10 prawn and water chestnut rolls, as Perfect Pies lists them, come out of this Hairy Bikers spring rolls recipe with ginger and chilli inside. And each roll comes to about 100 calories by my count, with the batch taking me 40 minutes from prawn to plate.

They are “one of our favourite party snacks”, they write in Perfect Pies, and the filling goes in raw, chopped prawn bound with cornflour. So the prawn cooks inside the wrapper in 4 to 5 minutes of frying, with only prawn, water chestnut and aromatics inside.

Soak the wrappers for 1 to 2 minutes only, because the book says “Do not soak for too long or they might tear”. Then get the oil to 180°C before the first roll goes in, which the book tests with a bread cube browning in 15 seconds.

Hairy Bikers Spring Rolls Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Frying Cuisine:British Asian Courses:Starter Snack

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 30 minutesCook time: 10 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time: 40 minutesServings:10 servingsCalories:100 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Raw king prawns are deveined and chopped with sliced water chestnuts, grated ginger, spring onions, garlic, coriander and chilli flakes, then dusted with cornflour. Then two heaped tablespoons go onto each softened rice flour pancake, the sides fold in and it rolls up from the bottom. And the rolls fry in 1.5cm of oil in a wok, five at a time, until pale golden and the prawn is pink through.

Ingredients

For the filling

• 200g raw shelled king prawns
• 50g canned water chestnuts, drained and sliced
• 1 tbsp finely grated fresh root ginger
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
• 2 small garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander
• 2 pinches of dried chilli flakes
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• Flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To roll and fry

• 10 small rice flour pancakes (about 16cm) or spring roll wrappers
• Sunflower oil, for frying

To serve

• Sweet chilli dipping sauce
• Lime wedges

Instructions

1. Prepare the prawns: cut down the back of each of 200g raw shelled king prawns with a small sharp knife and open it out slightly. Then remove the black vein with the point of the knife and throw it away.
2. Make the filling: chop the prawns fairly finely and put them in a bowl. Add 50g sliced water chestnuts, 1 tbsp grated ginger and 4 finely sliced spring onions. Add 2 crushed garlic cloves, 2 tbsp chopped coriander and 2 pinches of chilli flakes, then sprinkle over 2 tbsp cornflour, season and mix well.
3. Soak the wrappers: soak 2 rice flour pancakes or wrappers in cold water for 1 to 2 minutes, until soft, or as the packet says. Then drain them onto a clean, damp tea towel, and do not soak for too long or they might tear when you roll.
4. Roll: place 2 heaped tablespoons of the mixture about 2cm up from the bottom of a disc. Spread it in a line from side to side, leaving a 2cm gap at each end. Fold the sides over the filling, then roll up from the bottom to enclose it completely. Transfer to a plate dampened with a little water to stop them sticking, where they should feel a little tacky but not wet. Repeat in pairs until all 10 are rolled.
5. Heat the oil: pour sunflower oil into a large wok to a depth of about 1.5cm and heat it to 180°C. Then test it with a cube of white bread, which should brown in 15 seconds, and never let the oil overheat or sit unattended.
6. Fry: fry half the rolls for 4 to 5 minutes, turning frequently, until pale golden brown and the prawns are fully cooked and pink throughout. Then lift them out with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen roll and keep them warm in a low oven while the rest fry.
7. Serve: serve hot with sweet chilli dipping sauce and lime wedges.

FAQs

What are the Hairy Bikers Morecambe Bay shrimp spring rolls?

“This is our signature dish and it is delicious”, they write in their 2006 cookbook, of brown shrimps rolled with beansprouts, lemongrass and galangal. And tamarind soaks in soy sauce for 20 minutes before sake and chilli join the shrimp, and the list ends with wrappers, egg and oil. So it makes 6 large or 12 small with samphire and watercress, and I leave the measures to the book, my scan being illegible.

Is there a fresh Hairy Bikers spring roll?

Two, and both are Vietnamese, starting with the pork summer rolls in Meat Feasts, which they call “so much healthier than the deep-fried variety”. Then poached pork, 12 halved prawns and vermicelli roll up in rice wrappers with mint, coriander and Thai basil, 8 rolls for 4. And their 2006 crystal rolls poach 500g of prawns in sake and water, and, they say, “Vietnamese spring rolls are the best in the world”.

Can I make spring rolls ahead, and can I freeze them?

The book gives no make-ahead note, so I roll them an hour ahead at most, spaced out on the damp plate in the fridge. And since the prawn is raw, I fry them the same day and have not frozen them, so I cannot vouch for it. But their samosas are built to wait, fried, cooled and kept two days in the fridge before a hot oven.

What do you serve spring rolls with?

Sweet chilli sauce and lime wedges, which is the book’s own pairing, and it assumes a bought sauce. But the summer roll dipping sauce from Meat Feasts, lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, shallot and chilli, is my swap when I have limes. And on a party plate they sit beside their Thai fish cakes, which fry 18 to 20 small cakes from 500g of sea bass.

Why do my spring rolls burst or go soggy in the oil?

In my kitchen the culprits are overfilling and oil below 180°C, so I measure the filling and let the oil come back up between batches. And a wet wrapper spits in my pan, so I pat one that feels more than tacky with kitchen paper before it goes in. So a thermometer earns its place, the same way it does for their onion bhajis, which wait for the oil to return to 170°C.