We’re super excited since this weekend promises to be the first warm and sunny weekend of the year! In order to celebrate the occasion, we went looking for a tropical vegetable we’re not too familiar with. We came across a Caribbean root vegetable called yam. Well, what’s in a name?! Although yam is often used as an ingredient for Thanksgiving dishes, we found a tropical snack that brings the vegetable back to its roots. Turns out these rolls actually make a perfect summer weekend snack. So take your time, go looking for some yam in a special grocery store and give these crispy yam & goat cheese spring rolls a try. Don’t forget the tasty mango salsa!

For the rolls:

½ yam, peeled, cut into fine strips
½ red pepper, cut into fine strips
½ chow chow (also known as chayote), peeled, cored and cut into fine strips
1 carrot, peeled, cut into fine strips
1 red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 sheets filo pastry
1 free-range egg, beaten
100g goats’ cheese, sliced
4 spring onions, finely sliced
Sunflower oil, for deep frying
Green salad, to serve

For the salsa:

½ mango, peeled, finely diced
½ red onion, finely chopped
Thumb-sized piece root ginger, peeled and grated
1 lime, juice only
Handful fresh coriander, chopped

Preparation method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the vegetables, chilli, herbs and olive oil in a roasting tin. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and mix thoroughly. Roast for 12-15 minutes or until the vegetables are slightly softened. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

2. Mix the ingredients for the salsa in a mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

3. Lay three sheets of filo pastry on top of one another and brush around the edges with beaten egg. Place a quarter of the roasted vegetables, a quarter of the goats’ cheese and a quarter of the spring onion in the middle of the long edge of the pastry. Fold the short edges into the centre then roll tightly to form a neat spring roll. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling to make four spring rolls.

4. Heat the sunflower oil in a deep-fat fryer or a heavy-based pan until a cube of bread sizzles and goes golden-brown when dropped into it (careful!). Deep fry the spring rolls until golden-brown and crisp, remove with a slotted spoon and then drain on kitchen paper.

5. Serve with a spoonful of salsa and a green salad.