This cooking meet up was one of my most delicious ones until now. I met Yvonne from Hongkong via Couchsurfing.org. She was looking for a host in Berlin for one night and I told her that she could sleep on my couch. She ended up sleeping somewhere else because she met a friend who is living in Berlin, too. But luckily, sweet Yvonne still cooked with me.
Yvonne brought Roy with her – a very nice young artist she traveled with and her Chinese friend Xavier, who is living in Berlin at the moment.
Both, Roy an Yvonne are Buddhists, which I found very inspiring. Because of that they are trying to life their live the “Buddhistic-way” and that includes not to harm any creature on this planet.
It was a honor to have Yvonne in my kitchen as she is able to cook the most delicious food I ever tasted. Honestly! 🙂 And because of that we not only cooked Chinese, Yvonne teached me how to make a delicious Thai dish too.
But let´s go to the Chinese part first. I often ate them in my life but I never ever tryed to cook them! Why the hell I wonder – they are so easy to make and very delicious: spring rolls!
Yvonne´s Chinese Spring Rolls
- 1 package extra firm tofu (about 250g)
- 1 package spring roll pastry (read the ingredients not to take sth. with eggs in it)
- about 5 g ginger, chopped
- 1 large cougette, coarsely grated
- about 2 carrots, coarsely grated
- about 4 handfull soy sprouts
- vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- salt & pepper
Heat some oil in a pan and fry the tofu from both sides until golden brown. Put it on a paper towel and let it cool down a bit. Cut it in thin slices.
Heat some oil in a pan and put in the chopped ginger. Let fry for two minutes. Add the sprouts. Let fry for another two minutes.
Add the grated carrots and cougette. Season with sesame oil, salt and pepper.
Put the filling in a bowl. Fill another small bowl with some water and set aside. Cut the pastry sheet package open. Then carefully peel off one sheet from the stack of pasta. Be gentle, they can easily rip.
Place a large scoopful of filling on the center near the bottom corner of the sheet. Add one or two tofu pieces. Fold the bottom point up.
Gently tuck the filling in. Fold the 2 side corners in, forming an envelope shape. Put a drop water on the top corner. That will help you to close the roll. Continue rolling towards the top corner. Roll tightly so there are no exposed ends.
Continue like this with the other sheets and filling until all are done. Put some flour on the plate where you put them on.
And again heat oil in a pan. Pour enough oil. Drop a few spring rolls at a time depending on how big is your pan.
Fry each side until golden. Yvonne used chopsticks to turn them over and I recommend that highly as it is quite easy that way.
I have to say I´m pretty hungry right now. Just looking at this pictures lets the memory of their incredible delicious taste come back in mind. You have to try them!! 🙂
