Chiko Roll

Ingredients

Filling

• 400 gbeef mince or finely chopped mutton
• 300 gcabbage, very finely shredded
• 100 gcarrot, coarsely grated
• 80 gcelery, finely diced
• 1large onion, finely diced
• 100 gpearl barley, cooked until soft and drained
• 80 gcooked rice
• 2 tbspbeef stock powder dissolved in 200 ml water
• 1 tbspsoy sauce
• 1 tspcelery salt
• 1 tspground white pepper
• 2 tbspcornflour slaked in 3 tbsp cold water

Wrapper

• 300 gplain flour
• 1 tspsalt
• 200 mlwarm water
• 2 tbspoil

To fry and serve

• 2 litrescanola oil for deep frying
• 1egg beaten with 1 tbsp water, for sealing
• tomato sauce

Directions

1. Make the wrapper dough by mixing the flour, salt, water and oil into a firm dough, kneading 8 minutes until smooth, then resting it covered for 30 minutes; it needs to roll out thick and sturdy, not delicate like a spring roll skin.
2. Brown the mince hard in a dry wide pan over high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it up, until it is properly caramelised rather than grey.
3. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook 5 minutes until softened, then add the cabbage and cook another 5 minutes until it collapses and gives up its water.
4. Stir in the barley, rice, stock, soy, celery salt and white pepper and simmer 10 minutes, then thicken with the cornflour slurry and cook 2 more minutes until the mixture is thick, glossy and holds its shape on a spoon.
5. Spread the filling on a tray and chill it completely. Warm filling will steam inside the wrapper and burst it in the fryer.
6. Divide the dough into 8, roll each into a rectangle about 18 x 22 cm and 2 mm thick, place a fat log of filling along one long edge, brush the far edge with egg wash, then roll up tight and pinch and fold the ends closed.
7. Heat the oil to 170°C (350°F) and fry the rolls two or three at a time for 6 to 8 minutes, turning, until the wrapper is a deep blistered gold and rigid enough to stand on end.
8. Drain on a rack for 2 minutes, then eat one-handed straight from the paper bag with a stripe of tomato sauce, which is exactly how it was designed to be eaten.

Technique

• Frank McEncroe invented it in Bendigo in 1951 after watching a Chinese chow mein roll being sold at a Wagga Wagga show; he wanted something a footy spectator could hold in one hand while standing in the crowd.
• The thick, tough wrapper is the defining feature and is not a fault. It is engineered to hold hot filling without leaking, which a thin spring roll skin cannot do.
• Barley is the odd ingredient that makes it a Chiko Roll rather than a spring roll; it supplies bulk and a soft, starchy texture.
• Fry at a moderate 170°C (350°F) rather than hotter. The wrapper is thick and needs time for the heat to reach the centre without the outside burning.

Substitutions

• No barley: use more cooked rice or a mixture of rice and pearl couscous, though the texture is looser.
• Large frozen spring roll wrappers, doubled up for strength, work if you do not want to make the dough.

Variations

• The commercial version has used mutton or boned beef over the years and the exact recipe is a trade secret.
• Some takeaway shops sell a chicken version, which purists reject.
• A vegetarian roll built on the same barley and cabbage base, with mushroom for savour, works well.

History

Invented by Bendigo boilermaker Frank McEncroe in 1951, a spring roll toughened so it could be eaten one-handed at the football.

Frequently asked questions

What is Chiko Roll?

Chiko Roll is a street food from Australia: deep-fried roll of beef, cabbage and barley, takeaway-shop icon. Invented by Bendigo boilermaker Frank McEncroe in 1951, a spring roll toughened so it could be eaten one-handed at the football.

How long does Chiko Roll take to make?

Chiko Roll takes 50 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 large rolls. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Chiko Roll?

Yes, within limits. No barley: use more cooked rice or a mixture of rice and pearl couscous, though the texture is looser. Large frozen spring roll wrappers, doubled up for strength, work if you do not want to make the dough.

What is the most important thing to get right in Chiko Roll?

Brown the mince hard in a dry wide pan over high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it up, until it is properly caramelised rather than grey.