Cultural background

Maria Seppälä, 31 year-old, mother of two, from Philippines. Maria was born in Manila, the capital of the said country. For over 1,78 million people living in Manila, food is the main necessity. “In Philippines we eat three times a day and we love rice. But “merienda” or so- called snacking, is my favourite part of the day”

Maria is now living in Kankaanpää, Finland. She first worked for five years as a practical nurse in a big nursing home located in Tampere. Then after almost six years of being stay- at-home mom, she finally had the chance to follow her dream, to start a new profession dealing with food service and to be a professional cook. She is now studying at Sataedu Catering School located also in Kankaanpää. This recipe is used on Maria’s food week. Vegetable spring roll can be enjoyed as an appetizer, a snack, and a side dish. Vegetable spring roll is a fried spring roll variation that makes use of vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, and bean sprouts as ingredients. This dish is quick and easy. It can be enjoyed more when dipped in your favorite dipping sauce

Culinary information

  • 2½ cups shredded cabbage
  • ¾ cups carrots, julienned
  • 3 cups mung bean sprouts, cleaned
  • 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1½ tablespoon soy sauce
  • ⅓ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Filo wrapper
  • 3 cups Cooking oil

Preparation

Step1

  • Heat a pan and then scoop about 1 to 1½ tablespoons of cooking oil. When the oil becomes hot, saute the garlic and ginger.
  • Add the green onion, cabbage, and carrots. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Put-in the bean sprouts, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Mix well and then cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Turn off the heat and then transfer the vegetables to a colander to drain the liquid. Let it cool down.

Step 2

  • Lay a piece of filo wrapper in a clean flat surface. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of vegetable mixture. Wrap the mixture by folding the opposite ends of the wrapper inward and then rolling the other side until a cylindrical shape is formed. Seal the edge by brushing with water. Repeat this step until the veggie mixture is consumed.

Step 3

  • Meanwhile, heat the cooking oil in a deep cooking pot.
  • When the oil becomes hot, put-in the spring rolls gently one at a time until the maximum capacity of the cooking pot is reached. Deep fry 1-2 minutes or until the wrapper turns light to medium brown.
  • Remove the fried spring rolls from the pot and place in a plate lined with paper towel.

Other aspects

Relevant information about hygiene, safety, healthy food, food waste, storage and expire date, etc.

  • Mung bean sprouts should be washed well before using.
  • Vegetables should be thoroughly cleaned with fresh cold water. Cut vegetables using green chopping board.
  • Filo wrapper dries fast. Best to store it in sealed wrap. Can be freeze.
  • Steamed rice is best served hot. Spoils easily in room temperature. Best to refrigerate the leftover rice in a tight sealed container to avoid from drying. Can be used the next day as fried rice.