Popia Goreng (Deep Fried Spring Rolls)

Deep fried spring rolls with turmeric prawns and jicama. Have you seen these and tasted them before? Most likely, if you love Asian cuisine - it is one of the must-eat food around!

There are small pieces of prawns in those yummy crispy rolls - and I don't bother much to dig them out before I devour them. Why I said that? Read this and you will know why... Psst! I don't like prawns. But small little portions won't hinder me from food!
Spring rolls are very delicious starters or snacks to serve and be served with. I have not met any one who does not love these crispy golden rolls. Even my guy loves them! And besides, I just love the fact that you dip, dip, dip them in sweet chili sauce each time before you take a bite. Ohh soo yummy... I better stop myself from going to the kitchen again. (There's freshly fried ones in there right now!!!). Otherwise, my brother and dad will kill me when they come back home to see almost empty plates...

My mum makes lovely yummy popias (spring rolls). She buys the popia skin fresh from the local market, prepares the stuffings and, fries them in the evening for the family and friends to enjoy. Isn't that nice? And since I am so bored sitting at home today (public holiday), all I did was laze around and eat and take pictures of what I eat and cook! :-)

:: Ingredients ::
1 pack of spring roll skins (you can get them in the frozen food section)
1 jicama (commonly, we call them ubi sengkuang in Malaysia), julienned
1 carrot, julienned
1 small bowl of chopped green beans
10 small prawns, cut to small pieces & marinate with 1 teaspoon of tumeric powder (optional, really)
2 shallots, finely sliced
1 red chili, finely chopped

For marinade
a few dash of light soy sauce
a pich of salt & pepper

For wrapping the popia
2 tablespoon corn flour, mix in a little hot water to form glue
1. Stir fry the marinated prawns, add in onion, chili, carrots, green beans & jicama. Stir fry them lightly until soft & tender. Jicama are like turnips or water chestnuts so they are crunchy, yet full of moist in them, so be careful not to over cook them. They are lovely lovely fruit (or vege) and they taste good even without cooking! Set aside to cool. Wrapping the skins would be easier when the stuffing is at room temperature rather than hot. So, relax, watch tv, and get hungry while it cool down! Patience!
Spring roll skin are normally round-shaped here in Malaysia... if you buy them from the local market. In supermarkets, they are frozen, and square-shaped and, large or small in size. Buy the large one. So here's what to do. Have a plastic place mat or a large plate in front of you. Place a layer of skin on it and put about 1 tablespoonful of stuffings on it. If the skin is too dry, just lightly wet it with a little water, using your fingers. Then, start rollin'! Oh those are my mum's hands.. And she is very good at this! I'd probably need a few trys before getting it right.. haven't been practicing since I left my part time restaurant job years ago!

Once done, just before you reach the end of the skin, put some corn flour glue on and seal the spring rolls. Repeat for the remaining stuff that you have...
The skin may dry rather fast sometimes, and to avoid this, simply place a damp (not wet) kitchen paper over it. It will keep the spring rolls moist. Heat up the deep fryer, or pot or wok with plenty of oil, and fry them lovely rolls until golden brown. Deep fries tend to be oily, so ensure you drain the oil from the spring rolls before serving them. It keeps them crispy too! ;-)
Serve warm, with sweet chili sauce, or any of your favourite sauce. Bon apetite... I'm off to the kitchen again!