Sri Lankan Rolls

Lunch | Sri Lankan

Prep time: 1 min Cook time: 1 min Servings: 8

I first had these Sri Lankan rolls at an event my mate Shaun from Plate it Forward put on called Mum Cha with Nagi from RecipeTin Eats. Shaun's mum made these as one of their family dishes, so I asked her to write the recipe out. Shout out to Shaun's mum. Not only did she write the recipe for me, but she gave me a bunch of food to eat for dinner that night and it was absolutely delicious. You won’t regret making (or eating) these delicious potato filled rolls.

What are they?

Sri Lankan rolls are a popular street food made with a thin crepe wrapped around a spiced filling, then crumbed and deep fried. The filling here is a prawn and potato curry, built around whole aromatics like cinnamon stick and curry leaves that infuse the oil as they cook, giving the base a distinctive flavour before the spices go in. The potatoes are only lightly crushed in the pan rather than fully mashed, which keeps some texture in the filling.

The crepe batter needs to rest for an hour before cooking, which allows the gluten to relax and helps the batter spread into a thinner, more even circle. Both the crepes and the filling can be made ahead of time and kept separately in the fridge, so the only thing left to do before serving is assemble, crumb, and fry. The rolls go into the oil at 180°C and take about 1 to 2 minutes to turn dark golden and crisp.

Ingredient Notes

Curry leaves: Fresh or frozen curry leaves are what you want here. Dried curry leaves lose most of their fragrance and won’t give you that same nutty, citrusy hit when they hit the hot oil. Most major supermarkets stock fresh curry leaves now, but Asian grocery stores are the most reliable source. If you can only find dried, double the quantity and add them with the spices rather than with the aromatics.

Chilli powder: I use hot chilli powder in this recipe, which gives the filling a decent kick. If you’d prefer something milder, Kashmiri chilli powder is a good substitute. It’s considerably less hot but still adds a deep red colour to the filling. You can also use a mix of both if you want the colour without as much heat.

Prawns: Use raw (green) prawns rather than pre-cooked. They only need a minute or two in the pan just until they turn opaque, and they’ll carry over heat once the filling comes off the stove. Keep in mind they’ll also go back into hot oil when the rolls are fried, so if they’re fully cooked at the filling stage they’ll end up rubbery by the time you eat them.

Equipment

Chopping board
Chef’s knife
Large bowl
Jug or bowl (for batter wet ingredients)
Whisk
Large frying pan
Crepe pan or non-stick frying pan
Tongs
Baking paper and tray
Shallow bowls (for crumbing)
Deep frying pan or wide saucepan
Wire rack and tray

Ingredients

Crepes
300g (2 cups) plain flour
large pinch sea salt, to season
80g (4 tbsp) butter, melted
3 eggs, beaten
125ml (½ cup milk)
300ml water
Potato filling
3 medium potatoes, cubed
1 brown onion, finely diced
1 tbsp neutral oil
1 cinnamon stick
2 sprigs curry leaves
thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp each chilli powder, ground coriander, ground cumin
500g green prawns, peeled, chopped into bite size pieces
40ml (2 tbsp) tomato ketchup
30ml water
1 tsp brown sugar
lemon juice, to taste
sea salt, to season
lemon wedges and spicy tomato chutney, to serve
Crumb coat
3 egg whites, lightly whisked
1 cup breadcrumbs
neutral oil for deep frying

Directions

Make crepe batter
Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk the butter, eggs, milk and water together in a jug or bowl, then gradually whisk into the flour to make a thin batter (add more water if needed so it spreads easily in the pan).
Rest batter for 1 hour.
Prep the filling
Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 8 minutes until just tender. Drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Saute the onion until softened.
Add cinnamon stick, curry leaves, ginger and garlic. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the potatoes, crush lightly in the pan with a spoon, cook for 1 minute. Pour in 30ml water to deglaze frond (browned bits) from the base of the pan.
Stir in turmeric, chilli powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, tomato ketchup, and sugar. Cook for 1–2 minutes until well combined.
Add prawns and stir until just cooked. Stir in lemon juice and sea salt to taste, then remove from the heat. Remove the cinnamon stick.
Cook and fill crepes
Heat a crepe pan over medium. Pour 60ml of the batter into the pan and swirl to make a thin circle.
Cook for 30 seconds, flip, cook for 15 seconds more. Transfer to a tray lined with baking paper and repeat with remaining batter.
Divide the filling into 8 portions, then place down the centre of each crepe in a log shape, leaving a border on the sides to fold in.
Fold over the edge closest to you to enclose the filling, then fold in each side and continue to roll up to enclose.
Place the egg whites in a shallow bowl and the breadcrumbs in a shallow tray.
Dip each crepe roll in the egg whites, then roll in the breadcrumbs to completely coat.
Fry and serve
Heat enough oil in a deep frying pan to 180°C (355°F).
Deep fry the rolls in batches for 1-2 minutes, until dark golden and crisp. Drain on a wire rack over a tray, then serve with lemon wedges and spicy tomato chutney.

Recipe notes

Chef Tips

Rest the batter

Resting the crepe batter for an hour before cooking genuinely makes a difference. During that time the gluten in the flour relaxes, which means the batter spreads more evenly in the pan and the crepes are less likely to tear when you’re rolling and folding them. If you want to get ahead, you can make the batter the night before and keep it in the fridge overnight.

Don’t overcook the prawns

Pull the prawns off the heat as soon as they turn opaque. They’ll carry heat after coming off the stove, and they’ll go back into hot oil when the rolls are fried, so if they’re fully cooked at the filling stage they’ll be rubbery by the time you eat them. Just cooked in the pan is the target.

Keep your oil at temperature

180°C is the target for frying. Too cool and the breadcrumbs will absorb oil and go soggy before they colour; too hot and the crumb burns before the centre heats through. Fry in batches and give the oil a moment to come back up to temperature between each batch. If you don’t have a thermometer, drop a small cube of bread into the oil. It should turn golden in about 15 seconds at the right temperature.

Storage

These are best eaten straight out of the fryer. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a very hot oven at 220°C for 8 to 10 minutes to bring the crumb back to crispy.

FAQs

Can I make these ahead of time? Yes, and I’d encourage it. Both the crepes and the filling can be made a day in advance and kept separately in the fridge. Roll and crumb them just before frying so the coating stays crisp and doesn’t go soggy.

Can I swap the prawns for something else? Absolutely. A vegetable filling works well here. Diced carrots, peas, or mushrooms are all good options. If you’re using vegetables, make sure to cook off any excess moisture in the pan before rolling, otherwise the crepes can go soggy when the rolls are assembled.

Can I freeze the rolls? You can freeze them after rolling and crumbing, before frying. Lay them on a lined tray to freeze individually first, then transfer to a zip-lock bag or airtight container. Fry straight from frozen at 180°C, allowing an extra minute or two in the oil to make sure the centre heats through.