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Photo: cocotei.com

What is Chiko Roll?

The Chiko roll is iconically Australian and the ingredients are really a mystery to everybody. It was originally nicknamed a “Chinco roll” referring to a racial slur as it was modeled on an Asian competitor’s Chop Suey Roll, but later renamed to a more politically correct “Chiko Roll”. At the peak of their popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, forty million Chiko Rolls were sold annually in Australia, and the product has been described as an Australian cultural icon.

Ingredients

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Photo: dicedandspiced.com
  • 2 tbs rendered lamb fat (substitute sunflower oil)
  • 2 1/2 cups cabbage, very finely shredded
  • 1 small onion, very thinly sliced
  • 1 stick celery, very finely chopped
  • 1/2 carrot, chopped into 5mm pieces
  • 5 green beans, cut into 1cm pieces
  • 1/2 tsp mild curry powder
  • 100g beef mince (not lean mince)
  • 2 tbs barley, cooked to packet instructions
  • 2 tbs (40g) unsalted butter
  • 2 tbs (40g) unsalted butter
  • Sunflower or other neutral oil, to deep fry, plus extra to brush

EGG ROLL PASTRY

  • 2 cups (300g) plain flour, plus extra to dust
  • 1 egg

Method

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Photo: mattcancook.blogspot.com

1. Place the lamb fat in a frypan over medium-low heat. Add the cabbage, onion, celery, carrot, and green beans. Season with salt and cook for 8 minutes or until vegetables are soft but not colored. Add the curry powder, crumble in the stock cube and stir to combine. Add the mince, breaking the meat apart with a spatula, and cook for a further 5 minutes or until browned. Add the cooked barley, stir to combine, and set aside.

2. Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add 150ml water and whisk until thick and combined. Remove from the heat and add the cabbage mixture. Combine well, transfer to a bowl, and place in the fridge to chill completely.

3. For the pastry, place the flour, egg, 1/2 cup (125ml) water, and 1 tsp salt into the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook and knead on low for 10 minutes or until smooth. Cover dough with a clean cloth and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or until needed.

4. Divide the dough into four pieces and place on a floured surface. Roll one piece of dough until very thin and about 19cm wide and 19cm long, adding extra flour to ensure that the pastry does not stick.

5. Using your hands, shape 1/4 of the cooled filling mixture into a log and place along one edge of the rolled dough, leaving a 1.5cm border. Brush the pastry all over with oil, then roll tightly, ensuring there are no gaps or bubbles and stretching out the dough as you go until you reach halfway. Fold over the ends of the pastry, trimming if necessary, then continue to roll until all edges are sealed. Use a clean brush to press over the pastry to create a dotted effect. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling mixture. Chill for 15 minutes.

6. Half-fill a saucepan with oil and heat to 180°C on a kitchen thermometer. Working with one roll at a time, fry for 5 minutes or until golden and crisp all over. Remove from the oil and drain on a wire rack set above a baking tray. Repeat with remaining rolls. Serve immediately.

Tips

To make the filling, the home cook used mincemeat, rice, and a selection of vegetables.

Fry the meat in a large pot before adding the vegetables, sauce, rice, and seasoning, and then cooked for a further 45 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius in the oven.

The tasty snack can be kept in the fridge and microwaved the next day or frozen in the freezer for a later date.

If you see some tips useful, try to make Chiko Roll at home and share with us in the comment section. You may like other cooking topics below:

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