Cambodian spring rolls! OK, so a lot of countries, such as China and Vietnam do spring rolls well, but the Khmer spring roll might well be my favorite, for a number of reasons.
Table of Contents
- Western spring rolls are not the same….
- There are two major kinds of Spring Roll!
- Fresh Cambodian spring rolls with shrimp!
- Where can you get Cambodian spring rolls?
- Cambodian Spring rolls take 2! – Fried Spring Rolls
- What is in a deep-fried Cambodian spring roll?
- Tell us about some Cambodian Spring roll fusion cuisine!
Western spring rolls are not the same….
So, those of us from a western background have grown up eating “Chinese food”. Except it it really isn’t all that Chinese. Don’t get me wrong I really like English Chinese food, but when I got to China I was really surprised at how different things were.
A spring roll is a case in point. The Spring rolls we get in the UK are never “natural” and usually deep fried so as to become not only unhealthy, but not all that nice.
There are two major kinds of Spring Roll!
Spring rolls in these parts are mostly not of the fried variety, but are in fact “fresh”. A fresh spring roll is not deep-fried. You take a bunch of free ingredients and roll them in a type of rice paper. It is then served with an array of sources, such as sweet chili, the go to in Cambodia. You then dip it in the sauce and bite away. There is always a danger than it might break, but they taste so good it really does not matter.
Fresh Cambodian spring rolls with shrimp!
There is no fixed rule to what should be ins a print roll and they certainly don’t have to meat in them. Spring rolls being one of the more popular dishes for vegetarians in Cambodia for example. But thank the lord they CAN have meat. Probably the most popular version of Cambodian spring rolls consists of at least one shrimp, spring onions, Khmer herbs, cucumber and carrots. Although particularly if cooking from home you can add whatever you like. They got pork belly, shrimp and heaven forbid vegan versions!
To read about Cambodian cuisine click here
To read about being a vegetarian in Cambodia click here .
Where can you get Cambodian spring rolls?
There are few restaurants, or menus in Cambodia that do not feature a spring roll on them. They are also readily available as a street food. If you like good spring rolls then Cambodia is the place to be.
Cambodian Spring rolls take 2! – Fried Spring Rolls
What we are used in the west is the deep-fried spring roll and of course they are a thing here too. Although in my experience not nearly as popular as a fresh spring roll.
Essentially the same theres and ingredients apply, but you deep fry it. This means a greasy dish, harder to make, but also a hot and very hearty snack.
What is in a deep-fried Cambodian spring roll?
This is where it gets interesting, again you can stick with Khmer vegetables, but there are some cool variation, such as potato taro. I tried a taro spring roll in Kratie, it was amazing.
to read about street food in Kratie click here .
Shrimp tends not to be used, with pork, or chicken being the meat filler of choice
Tell us about some Cambodian Spring roll fusion cuisine!
Alright if you insist! So if you eat these away from a restaurant, as in cook them yourself then the ingredient world is your oyster as it were. I recently tried a variation of the dish that had cheese inside.
As you can imagine the cheese inside had melted around the pork, carrot and spring onions that had been added. I love fusion food and adding cheese to anything simply just makes it better. End of!
And that is the tale of the Cambodian spring roll, i prefer fresh, but fried is OK too!
