Tuesday 5 December 2017

Tandoori Chicken and Vegetable Spring Rolls.



Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

They're the perfect snack to have stashed in your freezer!
Or to eat straight away!
If your family is anything like mine, they'll eat half the spring roll batch before it even gets close to the freezer. That's what always happens to me especially when I try to freeze things for Ramadan. The poor spring rolls and samosas just never make it.
I managed to make 20 large rolls out of this tandoori chicken and vegetable filling. It's one that I first made back in the Summer and ended up making two more times after that. I love three things in the filling: the tandoori masala which always gives a unique flavour, the frozen mixed vegetables which provide a little sweetness and the tomato passata. 

I know it may seem strange to be putting the liquid tomato passata into a spring roll filling. Usually we're told to keep the filling as dry as possible. But I find that a little passata gives so much flavour to the chicken and keeps everything extra juicy. This way, you don't even need any chutney with the spring rolls.

Who am I kidding? Even with such a juicy filling, none of us can resist the almost obligatory chutney with our fried snacks. I've included the quick recipe for the green yoghurt chutney that we ate our rolls with. It's packed with fresh coriander and spicy green chillies. So good that I could almost drink it. Let me know what your favourite sauce or chutney is. What is your must-have with any or all fried snacks? Speaking of fried, these rolls are deep-fried but I have also included the baking method. The baked rolls aren't as golden brown as their fried counterparts but I can promise you that they pack just as much flavour. 

A Simple List of Ingredients:
1. Chicken Mince
2. Onions
3. Green Chillies
4. Lemon
5. Fresh Coriander
6. Frozen Mixed Vegetables
7. Tomato Passata
9. Tandoori Masala
10. Paprika
11. Ground Coriander
12. Ginger Paste
13. Garlic Paste
14. Ground Cumin
15. Red Chilli Powder
16. Salt
17. Spring Roll Pastry Sheets

For the Green Yoghurt Chutney:
1. Fresh Coriander
2. Green Chillies
3. Salt
4. Cumin Seeds
5. Plain Yoghurt

Bismillah, let's begin!

First, let's cook the filling. Heat 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Add in 2 Onions, peeled and finely diced.

Stir-fry the onions until they're light golden.

Then, add in 500g Chicken Mince. This same recipe would work with lamb, beef or turkey mince too.

Turn the heat to high and stir-fry the chicken until ....

... it is no longer pink!

Turn the heat down to low and stir in 1 teaspoon Garlic Paste and 1 teaspoon Ginger Paste. Cook for 2 minutes.

Next, add in:
2 heaped teaspoons Tandoori Masala
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Ground Coriander

Stir in those spices. I love how they suddenly transform boring chicken into something special.

Next, passata. Slightly controversial as we're usually told to keep spring roll fillings as dry as possible but I find that a little passata makes everything else so much more juicy.

So, add in 100ml Tomato Passata.

Stir and cook for 2 minutes.

Next, the vegetables. I used frozen mixed vegetables. You may use only frozen peas or fresh vegetables, if you prefer. 

Add in 250g Frozen Mixed Vegetables.

This mix had peas, carrots, green beans, sweetcorn and broad beans.

Stir and cook the filling for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are fully cooked.

Once everything is cooked, add in 2 Green Chillies, finely diced. You may add more or less depending on how spicy you want things.

Squeeze in the Juice of 1/2 Lemon.

And last but certainly not least, add in a Handful of Fresh Coriander, chopped.

A final stir and the filling is done. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning, as needed.

Now most importantly, let the filling cool completely before using it.

Once the filling is cool, use it to fill the Spring Roll Pastry Sheets. See this recipe for my rolling technique. I made 20 large rolls but you can double the filling, if needed. You may also freeze the rolls at this point too.

These rolls can be fried or baked. To fry, heat enough Vegetable Oil to deep-fry over a high heat in a deep pan. 

Once the oil is hot, I like to fry one roll to make sure the temperature is just right. Once it's cooked, I take it out to fry the rest. This ensures that the oil temperature is just right without needing to use a thermometer. Oil temperature is critical to getting good rolls. Too hot and they'll burn quickly. Too cold and they'll absorb the oil, making them really greasy.

Once the oil temperature is correct, add in a batch.

Fry for a few minutes until golden brown and crispy.

Drain them well.

And, continue to drain on paper towels.

To bake the spring rolls, heat the oven to 200C. Put the rolls onto a lined baking tray and brush or spray all over with vegetable oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes until crispy. They won't be as golden brown as the fried ones but the flavour will be just as good.

As promised, a quick recipe for the green yoghurt chutney that we served with the spring rolls. Take:
1/2 bunch Fresh Coriander, roughly chopped
2 Green Chillies, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

Add a few tablespoons of Plain Yoghurt.

And, blend until everything is as smooth as you can get it. I used a stick blender.

Stir in more Plain Yoghurt, to taste. Done!

Get dunking and enjoy! By the way, this tandoori chicken filling is also great on pizzas, in grilled sandwiches or as a filling for jacket potatoes. So many options! I love it!

Tandoori Chicken and Vegetable Spring Rolls.

Prep Time: About 1 hour + time to cool the filling.
Cook Time: 5 minutes per batch if deep-frying + 15-20 minutes per batch if baking.
Serves: Makes 20 large spring rolls.

Ingredients

For the Spring Rolls
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2 Onions, peeled and finely diced
500g Chicken Mince
1 teaspoon Ginger Paste
1 teaspoon Garlic Paste
2 heaped teaspoons Tandoori Masala
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Ground Coriander
100ml Tomato Passata
250g Frozen Mixed Vegetables
2 Green Chillies, finely diced
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Handful Fresh Coriander, finely chopped
20 Spring Roll Pastry Sheets, defrosted if frozen
Vegetable Oil, to deep fry

For the Green Yoghurt Chutney
1/2 bunch Fresh Coriander, roughly chopped
2 Green Chillies, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
Plain Yoghurt, as needed

Prepare the filling:
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and stir fry until light golden. Add in the chicken mince and stir fry over high heat until the chicken is no longer pink. Stir in the ginger paste and garlic paste for 2 minutes.
Turn the heat to low and stir in the tandoori masala, salt, paprika, red chilli powder, ground cumin and ground coriander. Pour in the tomato passata and cook for 2 minutes. Add in the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes or until they are cooked through. Finally, stir in the green chilli, lemon juice and fresh coriander. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed. Cool completely.

Assemble the spring rolls:
Fill the spring roll sheets with the cool filling. See this recipe for my rolling technique. I made 20 rolls with this filling but you can easily double or triple the recipe to make more. Once rolled, they can be frozen too. Freeze in a single layer on a tray until frozen solid. Then, divide between freeze bags.

To deep fry:
Heat enough vegetable oil to deep fry in a deep pan over a high heat. Once the oil is hot, test it by frying one roll first. Let it cook and come out of the pan before adding in a full batch. Fry until the rolls are crispy and golden on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

To bake:
Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Place the rolls on a lined baking tray. Brush or spray them with oil on both sides. Bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp. They won't be as golden as the deep-fried ones but just as tasty.

To make the green chutney:
Blend together all the ingredients with a few tablespoons of plain yoghurt. Then, stir in more yoghurt to taste. Adjust the seasoning, as needed.

Serve:
Serve the fried or baked rolls immediately with the yoghurt chutney to dip. 

Keep me in your duas please, and enjoy your spring rolls!

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!


Spice Enthusiast
© copyrights This Muslim Girl Bakes, All Rights Reserved. Branding & Blog Design by Sadaf F K.