Seafood spring rolls (cha giò hai san)

When we were little, my mum won many new friends when she brought a platter of her spring rolls to school or served them at our birthday parties. You can use Chinese wrapper paper to make these but I adore the crisp blisters you get with rice paper. These are a real treat when they are homemade, and loved by everyone. When frying in batches, keep the cooked rolls hot and crispy in the oven, or freeze the rolls and deep-fry from frozen. 1 HOUR | MAKES 12 | MORE EFFORT

FILLING

raw king prawns 165g, shelled, de-veined, patted dry and coarsely chopped frozen or fresh crabmeat 150g tin, as much moisture squeezed out as possible

scallops 80g, patted dry and roughly chopped (optional)

parsnips 125g, cut into thin matchsticks

carrots 120g, cut into thin matchsticks

bean sprouts 75g

glass noodles 25g, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes, drained and trimmed to 3cm

maple syrup ½ tbsp mushroom or chicken seasoning ½ tsp

spring onions 2, thinly sliced

garlic 2 cloves, finely chopped

spring roll rice paper (about 22cm)12 sheets sunflower or vegetable oil 1 litre

TO SERVE

lettuce 1, leaves separated

coriander, Vietnamese coriander, mint and perilla

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bird’s-eye chillies 2, finely chopped

garlic 2 cloves, crushed

caster sugar 3 tbsp

white wine vinegar 3 tbsp fish sauce 4 tbsp

1 To make the dipping sauce, mix together all of the ingredients with 80ml of water.

2 Combine all of the filling ingredients, except for the rice paper and oil, with a pinch of ground black pepper and a couple of pinches of sea salt in large bowl. 3 Prepare a tray of warm water and dip a piece of rice paper in it for a second to moisten, then put it on a clean chopping board. Spoon 2 tbsp of the filling into the middle at the bottom. Wait a minute for the paper to soften. Fold in the two sides, then fold up the bottom flap. Using your fingers to secure the roll, push forward and tuck in as you roll towards the top of the paper, making sure it’s tight. Repeat with the remaining rice paper and filling.

4 Put a pan or wok of oil over a medium-high heat until it reaches about 160C or until a cube of bread browns in 45 seconds. Deep-fry the rolls for 4-5 minutes, in batches if necessary, until golden brown, leaving space between the rolls so they don’t stick together. Serve with the lettuce, herbs (wrapped around the spring roll) and dipping sauce.

PER SERVING 153 kcals | fat 5.5G saturates 0.7G | carbs 18.9G | sugars 7.3G fibre 1.2G | protein 6.5G | salt 1.6G