Spring rolls

What do you do when you have leftover filo pastry from Christmas day and January is around the corner? You make the first recipe for… VEGANUARY!

I must say I was out of inspiration for Veganuary 2022, so I asked for help to my Instagram community and the different answers that came out, had one thing in common: easy, simple and quick meals that would have you covered from breakfast to dinner!

So for this Veganuary I am going to keep it simple, using ingredients that are easy to find in supermarkets, on a budget - because eating vegan is actually cheap! - and sharing meals that “Anyone can cook!”

Back to the leftover filo pastry, I made these super easy spring rolls with only four main ingredients: filo pastry, cabbage, carrots and tofu.

INGREDIENTS:

½ “Sweetheart” cabbage (or any kind of green cabbage)

1 carrot

250g tofu

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, minced or grated

½ tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp rice vinegar

2 to 3 tbsp soy sauce

1 packet of filo pastry or spring roll sheets

Soy milk or water for brushing

Sesame oil for cooking and brushing

Sesame seeds for garnishing

INSTRUCTIONS:

Peel and grate the carrot then finely slice the cabbage and place these in a bowl. In another one, finely crumble the tofu.

In a pan, stir-fry the minced garlic and ginger along with the chilli flakes. Add the greens and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the tofu and season with the soy sauce and the vinegar.

Stir-fry for about three minutes: you want the veggies to keep that crunchy texture, so it’s important not to overcook them.

Open up your filo pastry packet, lay the sheets flat and take two layers at a time. Overlap the two layers, then cut these into small but equal squares (approx. 5cm x 5cm).

Place one tablespoon of the filling in the middle, brush the edges, then gently fold and roll the pastry so that the filling is inside and the sheet is sealed: here’s how.

Once all the rolls are ready, place them in a baking tray, brush with more sesame oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 180°c for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden on the outside: each oven is different, so keep an eye whilst baking.

Serve whilst they are still warm and crispy and enjoy with sweet chilli sauce or vegan sriracha mayo.