Fresh herb rolls! All soft and sweet! They're simply delectable... mouthwatering! Here in Deep Asia, where I live, we either fry these rolls or eat them raw. Both ways, the rolls are delicious. Fantastic! So, you can't blame me--I just ate fresh herb rolls that was supposed to be my wife's. Anyway, let's talk about fresh herb rolls first.
Fresh Herb Rolls
We call it "Sariwang Lumpia" here, or fresh rolls. I added "herbs" because they're stuffed with powerful healthy herbs. Some stuff it with young bamboo shoots we call labong, some with chopped Baguio beans or bitsuwelas, some with the edible white flesh found in the middle of a coconut tree or ubod, some use mongo bean sprout or toge. Some use all the above. Steam the herbs. They are all super nutritious! No wonder I was tempted by my wife's fresh herb rolls.
Here are some other herbs people stuff this roll with: Chopped kinchay; whole pieces of fresh, crunchy litsugas (native lettuce); chopped onion leaves; and chopped garlic. All these are rolled into a flour-and egg-based wrapper cooked like hotcakes and topped with a thick, sweet-and-spicy syrup plus a sprinkling of ground native peanuts. You eat that with rice as a meal or alone as super healthy fresh herb rolls.
Most times I love eating fresh herb rolls all by themselves. I imagine the herb nutrition goodness being squeezed in my mouth and the juices splashing round my tongue. And then I swallow all the herbal health benefits and imagine them joining in my body circulation and systems! Then I turn into Superman!
Most times I love eating fresh herb rolls all by themselves. I imagine the herb nutrition goodness being squeezed in my mouth and the juices splashing round my tongue. And then I swallow all the herbal health benefits and imagine them joining in my body circulation and systems! Then I turn into Superman!
Fried Herb Rolls
Use the same ingredients above (just add some chopped tofu if you like), but this time we deep-fry the rolls in oil until brown and crunchy, preferably in canola or olive. Also, we do away with the thick, sweet-and-spicy syrup and ground peanut. Instead, we dip the fried herb rolls in a special spicy vinegar concoction that makes you bite into the roll again soon after your first.
Here's how to do the dip concoction: Mix vinegar, chopped garlic, onions, and native red chili or siling labuyo and put in some black pepper powder, salt, and brown sugar. Add some soy sauce if you want. The moment you dip your fried herb rolls into it and taste, the world will never be the same again.
Fried herb rolls are perfect as partner for rice soup or lugaw or goto. I love eating them with rice and soup. I super love eating them as snack while watching a good DVD movie with the family. I love the crunch as you sink your teeth into the rolls, especially when the roll covering is fried-toasted like potato chips. It's the best "junk" food that's super healthy!
If you crave for crunchy and spicy snacks, opt for fried herb rolls and do away with real junk food. You can buy these herb rolls ready-cooked in local canteens or eateries or karenderia, but the roll covering is likely softened with time. Do a home cooking instead.
Better yet, you can develop your own fresh herb rolls or fried herb rolls to include your favorite fresh veggies, like super thin stripped carrots, turnips, cucumber, crunchy red or green pepper, and radish, to name a few, and even add in some strips of ripe papaya or mango. I like adding native banana or saging na saba in my fried herb rolls to give it some turon touch, the native banana roll.
Now, think about what happens if these herbs were planted right in your backyard! You just pick them super fresh from your garden, wash, and apply to the herb roll recipe! And imagine if you have a backyard organic garden! That will be an extremely healthy herb meal! And among delicious dishes with the healthiest herbs and plants in the Philippines and Asia!
Now, think about what happens if these herbs were planted right in your backyard! You just pick them super fresh from your garden, wash, and apply to the herb roll recipe! And imagine if you have a backyard organic garden! That will be an extremely healthy herb meal! And among delicious dishes with the healthiest herbs and plants in the Philippines and Asia!