INGREDIENTS
· 50 g fine dried vermicelli noodles
· 300 g carrots
· 6 spring onions
· 5 cm piece of ginger
· 1 big bunch of fresh coriander , (60g)
· ¼ teaspoon Chinese five-spice
· ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
· 200 g self-raising flour
· vegetable oil , for frying
· sweet chilli sauce
METHOD
1. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, then drain and roughly chop.
2. Trim and coarsely grate the carrot, then trim and finely slice the spring onions, and add to a bowl.
3. Peel and finely chop the ginger, and finely chop the coriander (stalks and all), then add to the bowl with the drained noodles. Mix together gently.
4. Add a good pinch of sea salt, the five-spice, white pepper and flour, and gently fold together, adding 150ml of water, continuing to gently fold and mix together – don’t overmix, or the balls will become dense.
5. Half-fill a large sturdy pan with oil and gently bring up to 190ºC (or use a deep fryer).
6. Working in batches, carefully drop small balls (around 1 level tablespoon each) of the mixture into the hot oil – don’t worry about them being perfectly shaped.
7. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden and crisp, then drain on kitchen paper, separating with wooden chopsticks if they start to stick together. Keep warm in a low oven while you cook the remaining batches, if needed.
8. Serve with sweet chilli sauce for dipping.
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
TIP: Don’t be too perfect or precise when forming the veggie balls – this will give you that fantastic crunchy texture.
MAKES 28 - 30, SERVES 6
TOTAL cooking time: 40 MINUTES
DIFFICULTY:
NOT TOO TRICKY
Vegetarian, dairy free, vegan
BY: Chef Jamie Oliver
