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Sri Lankan Chinese rolls
චයිනීස් රෝල්ස් (Chinese rolls): thin pancakes rolled around spiced tuna and potato, crumbed and fried
Sri LankanNobody in Sri Lanka quite knows why they are called Chinese rolls, but every bakery glass case and tea-shop counter from Kandy to Matara has a tray of them: thin crêpes wrapped around a peppery filling, dipped in batter, rolled in breadcrumbs and fried to a golden crunch. Fish is the classic, usually tuna or mackerel cooked with potato, leeks, onion, curry leaves and green chilli, and the rolls go to office tea breaks, almsgiving receptions and children's birthday parties, always with a bottle of chilli sauce. A potato and leek version without fish is just as popular and makes them vegetarian. People often go wrong by making the pancakes too thick, which gives a doughy roll that never crisps. Chef's tip: roll each one tightly like a spring roll, tucking the sides in, so the filling cannot burst out in the oil.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the pancakes
- 7 oz plain flour
- 1 egg
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- ¾ cup water
- 1 /4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, for the pan
For the filling
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 1 small leekfinely chopped
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 cm piece fresh gingergrated
- 2 green chilliesfinely chopped
- 1 /4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 14 oz potatoesboiled, peeled and mashed
- 3 /4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lime juice
For the coating
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- ½ cup water
- 5 ½ oz dried breadcrumbs
- 3 ¼ cups vegetable oil, for frying
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Whisk 7 oz plain flour, 1 egg, 1 ¼ cups milk, ¾ cup water and 1 /4 tsp salt into a thin, smooth batter like single cream. Rest for 15 minutes.
3 minStep 2: Wipe a 22 cm non-stick pan with a little 1 tbsp vegetable oil, for the pan over a medium heat and cook 12 thin pancakes, about 1 minute on one side only, until set and dry on top. Stack them.
20 minStep 3: For the filling, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry 1 sprig curry leaves for 10 seconds.
2 minStep 4: Add 1 onion, 1 small leek, 3 cloves garlic, 2 cm piece fresh ginger and 2 green chillies and cook for 5–6 minutes until soft.
6 minStep 5: Add 12 ½ oz fresh tuna, finely diced (or 2 x 160 g tins tuna, drained), 1 /4 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp dried chilli flakes and 1 tsp ground black pepper and cook for 4–5 minutes until the fish is opaque and flakes apart.
5 minStep 6: Stir in 14 oz potatoes, 3 /4 tsp salt and 1 tbsp lime juice and mix well over the heat for 2 minutes until fairly dry. Cool completely.
3 minStep 7: Put 2 tbsp of filling near the edge of the cooked side of a pancake, fold in the sides and roll up tightly. Repeat.
10 minStep 8: Whisk 3 tbsp plain flour with ½ cup water into a smooth paste. Dip each roll in the paste, then roll it in 5 ½ oz dried breadcrumbs.
5 minStep 9: Heat 3 ¼ cups vegetable oil, for frying to 350°F over a medium heat and fry 3–4 rolls at a time for 3–4 minutes, turning, until deep golden and hot in the centre. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with chilli sauce.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 240 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sri Lankan Chinese rolls take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of egg?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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