Spring roll

Spring roll
Type Dim sum
Course Hors d'oeuvre
Variations Many
Cookbook:Spring roll  Spring roll
Spring roll
Chinese 春卷
Spring rolls with peanut sauce

Spring rolls are a large variety of filled, rolled appetizers or Dim Sum found in East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine. The name is a literal translation of the Chinese chūn juǎn (春卷 'spring roll'). The kind of wrapper, fillings, and cooking technique used, as well as the name, vary considerably within this large area, depending on the region's culture.

Regional

Vietnam

Video demonstration of spring rolls preparation

The fried version with minced pork is called chả giò (southern Vietnam), nem, or Nem rán (northern Vietnam). Central Vietnam has its own version of a "fried roll" called "Ram." "Ram" is always made from whole shell-on shrimp or chopped deshelled shrimps and some green onion, wrapped in rice paper and deep fried. "Ram", like most specialty food items from central Vietnam, are not widely available in Vietnamese restaurant overseas. A Vietnamese spring roll is different from a Chinese spring roll in that it is typically smaller and contains ground or chopped meats/seafood such as pork, crab, shrimp, chicken, taro or cassava, glass noodle, wood-ear fungi or oyster mushrooms and shredded carrots. Rice papers are always used as the wrappers in Vietnam. A few Vietnamese restaurants in western countries may use the Chinese spring roll wrappers due to the inavailability of rice papers initially.

Goi cuon or Fresh spring roll

Fresh spring rolls,[1] are a Vietnamese delicacy known as gỏi cuốn. Depending on region, salad rolls were made differently. Some vegetarian families make vegetarian spring rolls rather than meat spring rolls. However, the typical ingredients include slivers of cooked pork (most often cha pork sausages), shrimp, sometimes chicken or tofu, fresh herbs like basil and cilantro, lettuce, cucumbers, sometimes fresh garlic chives, rice vermicelli, all wrapped in moistened rice paper. Fresh Vietnamese spring rolls can be made at home or found at Vietnamese restaurants[2][3] and some grocery stores. They are served at room temperature with dipping sauce. Nước chấm, tương xào or a hoisin peanut sauce are all common dipping sauces. A typical hoisin dipping sauce includes chili, hoisin sauce, peanut butter and sugar. A standard nước mắm pha (nước chấm) dipping sauce is composed of fish sauce, lime, garlic, sugar, and chilies.

Eastern and northern China

In Chinese cuisine, spring rolls are savoury rolls with cabbage and other vegetable fillings inside a wrapped cylinder shaped thin pastry. From areas such as Zhejiang in eastern China, and northern China. They are usually eaten during the Spring Festival in China, hence the name. Meat varieties, particularly pork are also popular.

Taiwan

In Taiwan, spring rolls also come in a number of varieties.

Fried spring rolls are generally small and crisp. They can be sweet or savory; the latter are typically prepared with vegetables. This version is fully wrapped before being pan-fried or deep-fried.

Non-fried spring rolls are typically bigger and more savory. In contrast, non-fried spring rolls typically fill the wrapping with pre-cooked ingredients. The most commonly eaten style of non-fried Taiwanese spring rolls is called rùn bǐng (潤餅) in Mandarin (or po̍h-piáⁿ (薄餅) in Taiwanese, see popiah). Traditionally, non-fried spring rolls are a festive food eaten during the Cold Food Day festival and the Tomb Sweeping Day festival in spring to remember and pay respect to ancestors. The Hakka population sometimes also eat spring rolls on the 3rd day of the 3rd month of the lunar calendar (三月三 sān yuè sān). The wrappings can be a flour based mix or batter.

In northern Taiwan, the ingredients are generally flavored with herbs, stir-fried and sometimes topped with a finely ground peanut powder before being wrapped. The northern-Taiwanese style spring roll is usually lightly topped with or accompanied by a soy sauce.

In southern Taiwan, the ingredients are generally boiled or blanched in plain water. Sometimes caster or superfine sugar is added along with the peanut powder before all the ingredients are wrapped.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong style spring rolls served with dipping sauce.

Spring roll is a fried dish usually available as a dim sum.[4] It typically contains minced pork, shredded carrot, bean sprouts and other vegetables served with a sauce similar to Worcestershire sauce.

Australia

In Australia, a diverse range of authentic Asian cuisine is available due to immigration, multiculturalism, and the abundant fresh local produce. Both dim sims and Chiko Rolls were inspired by Chinese spring rolls.

Australians also have their own version of a spring roll that can be found in many fish and chip shops in Australia and also bought from a supermarket (Chiko Roll). Rather than using pastry with a rolling technique they have a more doughy texture.

Philippines and Indonesia

Lumpia is the name for spring rolls in the Philippines and Indonesia.

South Korea

In South Korea, a spring roll is known as chungwon (춘권). They are not as popular as other fried foods, but are occasionally found at bars, street stalls, or as a banchan (side dish) at restaurants.

Europe

In the Netherlands and Belgium, spring rolls are known as loempia, and are deep-fried or sometimes baked. They are thought to have been introduced by immigrants from Indonesia. Loempias are filled with bean sprouts, chopped omelette, and sliced ham.

In Scandinavia, they are known as vårrullar/er,[5] [6] and Forårsruller . While in Poland, they are known as Sajgonki, named after Saigon, the city from which many of the Vietnamese immigrants in Poland originated.

Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, spring rolls are called in Spanish Rollito de primavera (Little Spring Roll), offered in almost all the Chinese restaurants as an entree or appetizer.

Chile

In Chile, spring rolls are called Arrollado Primavera, and supermarkets, street vendors and Chinese restaurants sell them. (However, in other countries, "arrollado primavera" refers to a savory pinwheel type roll made with thin sponge cake and should not be confused with the Chilean version.)

Mexico

In Mexico, spring rolls are called Rollos Primavera, and are sold in many Chinese restaurants and fast food establishment. In the northwest border with the US, specially in Mexicali, Baja California, the spring rolls are known as chunkun, this name could be related to the Korean chungwon (춘권), they are deep-fried and they are usually served with ketchup topped with a dot of hot mustard as dipping sauce. \

Uruguay and Argentina

In Uruguay and Argentina, spring rolls are called Arrollados Primavera, and supermarkets and Chinese restaurants sell them. They are common treat carried by catering services and usually served with a small bowl of hot soy sauce to dip them in.

Brazil

In Brazil, spring rolls are called either rolinhos-primavera (IPA: [ʁoˈlĩɲus pɾimɐˈvɛɾɐ]), which is an approximate free translation from English, or as it is called in Japanese restaurants and among people which are used to the plate by the way it came to Brazil from Japanese immigrants, "spring roll" (春巻き harumaki) (IPA: [haɽu͍maki]). They can be found mostly in Chinese restaurants, usually served with a molho agridoce (sweet and sour sauce) to dip, usually bright red and hot, made with ketchup, vinegar, sugar and sometimes spices such as star anise, which accompanies some other kinds of dishes, and can include onion and sweet pepper. Some Japanese restaurants also serve spring rolls in Brazil, but generally plain or with soy sauce to dip (molho agridoce is uncommon but also available in some). They are also found in buffet-like fast food restaurants, and can be called either by the Japanese or Brazilian Portuguese name, but most often the latter.

Venezuela

In Venezuela, spring rolls are called Lumpia as in the Philippines and Indonesia. All Chinese restaurants sell them and are usually served with sweet and sour or soy sauce.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=resources/lifestyle_community/food/restaurants&id=8629396
  2. ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/07/food/la-fo-find-20101007
  3. ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/1997/sep/25/entertainment/ca-35806
  4. ↑ yeinjee (23 January 2008). "Maxim’s Chinese Restaurant, Hong Kong International Airport". yeinjee.com. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  5. ↑ Swedish food magazine, Vårrullar
  6. ↑

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spring roll.