Mom's Style Spring Roll (春卷/薄饼)

To many westerners, spring roll is usually referred to the deep-fried mini size spring rolls served in dim sum restaurants. In Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore, a non-fried or fresh spring roll made with homemade wrapper (skin) is very popular. Each region has its own unique flavour in fillings, but one of the common ingredients used is jicama or yam bean.

I have tried several different versions of spring roll in both Singapore and Malaysia, but none of those are similar to my mom's version. Mom's one-dish filling is cooked with jicama, long bean, bean sprout, firm bean curd, and other stuff. Also, she did not add shrimp paste and crushed peanut. Mom is retired from selling spring roll but the flat pan she used for making the wrapper is still her treasure. Well, she would never retire from making it for her children, grandchildren, and relatives. It is a good dish to prepare for a gathering, both adults and children would have so much fun rolling up their own spring roll.

To make fresh spring roll, the wrapper must be thin and soft but strong enough to wrap in a heap of filling. By the way, I love mine spring roll with a small amount of filling. Those slim spring rolls in the photo were meant for me.

Here is the recipe (brushing method) for the wrapper, the filling is all up to individual preferences... I keep my mom's recipe for the time being.

Ingredients (makes +/-24 pcs):

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp tapioca flour
• 1 cup water + extra if required
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• pinch of salt

Methods:

1. Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Let it rest for at least an hour, best overnight in the fridge. (Add extra water if the batter is too thick.)
2. Heat a non-stick pan on the lowest heat and grease lightly with cooking oil. I always wipe the pan with a paper towel after greasing.
3. Use a brush to spread the batter onto the pan (as thin as possible) quickly with a circular motion to make a 20cm pancake.
4. Cook for 5-10 seconds, flip over and cook for another 5 seconds. Ready to use.
5. The cooked wrapper must be covered with cling wrap or damp cloth to prevent drying out.

Note: Oil is added into the batter is to prevent the wrapper from sticking onto the pan and to prevent it from drying out.