Chiko roll
A home version of Australia's factory-made takeaway roll: beef, barley, cabbage and carrot in a thick, chewy wrapper, deep-fried.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 50 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 2 hr 15 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- Mild
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
The Chiko Roll is a factory product. The real one arrives frozen at fish-and-chip shops, where it is deep-fried and handed over in a paper bag. This is a home version. The filling follows the packet, more or less: minced beef, cabbage, carrot, celery, onion and pearl barley, cooked down until dry and seasoned hard with white pepper. The wrapper is the part that matters. It is much thicker and chewier than a spring roll skin, so here it is an egg dough rolled to about 2 mm. Fry it until blistered and deep gold. It is built to be eaten one-handed.
What you'll need
16 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Dough
- Filling
- To fry
Ingredients
Dough
- Wheat flour300 g
- Egg1
- Water, warm110 ml
- Neutral oil15 ml
- Salt4.9 ml
Filling
- Pearl barley, rinsed60 g
- Beef stock, for cooking the barley300 ml
- Beef, minced200 g
- Onion, finely chopped1 medium
- Cabbage, very finely shredded250 g
- Carrot, grated1 medium
- Celery, one stick, finely chopped1
- White pepper4.9 ml
- Salt4.9 ml
- Potato or corn starch, mixed with 2 tbsp water15 ml
To fry
- Neutral oil, for deep-frying1 l
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Simmer the barley in the stock in a small covered saucepan for 30 to 35 minutes, until soft and the stock is mostly absorbed. Drain off any that is left.
35 min
Step 2
Meanwhile make the dough. Mix the flour and salt, add the egg, oil and most of the warm water, and bring it together, adding the rest of the water if it is dry. Knead for 5 minutes until smooth and firm, then wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
10 min
Tip: It should be stiffer than pasta dough. A soft dough tears when you roll it up.
Step 3
Brown the beef in a frying pan over high heat, breaking it up small. Add the onion, cabbage, carrot and celery and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until soft and the pan is dry. Stir in the barley, pepper and salt, then the cornflour slurry, and cook for a minute until it binds. Spread on a plate and cool completely.
18 min
Step 4
Cut the dough into 6 pieces and roll each into a rectangle about 20 by 15 cm and 2 mm thick. Lay a sixth of the filling as a log along a short edge, fold in the sides and roll up tightly. Seal the edge with water and press it down, then rest the rolls seam-side down.
20 min
Tip: For the shop look, press lines across the top with the back of a knife.
Step 5
Heat the oil in a deep pot to 175°C. Fry two rolls at a time for 6 to 7 minutes, turning, until blistered and deep gold. Drain on a rack.
20 min175°C
Watch: Seal the seams well. A roll that opens in hot oil spits.
Step 6
Let them sit for a few minutes, because the filling holds heat, then serve in a paper bag or a napkin.
3 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 504 kcal
- Protein
- 17.3 g
- Carbs
- 54.3 g
- Fat
- 23.9 g
- Saturated fat
- 4.1 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 3.7 g
- Sodium
- 937 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Eggs
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Homemade dough → Two egg roll wrappers layered together
Quicker and crisper, but closer to a big spring roll than a Chiko.
Tips
- Make the filling a day ahead. Cold, firm filling is far easier to roll.
- Uncooked rolls freeze well on a tray. Fry them from frozen at 165°C for about 10 minutes so the middle heats through.
History & culture
It belongs to the takeaway counter, the country servo and the football ground, eaten one-handed with or without tomato sauce. It is now a nostalgia item as much as a snack. The old shop posters of a woman astride a motorbike are collectors' pieces, and people still argue about whether the recipe changed for the worse.
Frank McEncroe, a boilermaker turned caterer from Bendigo, is credited with launching it at the Wagga Wagga Agricultural Show in 1951. The story goes that he had seen Chinese chop suey rolls sold at the football and wanted something sturdier that could be eaten without a plate. Production moved to factories as it spread, and it has been an industrial snack ever since.
Modern adaptation — The original is made by machine in a factory to a formula that is not published. This recreates it from the listed ingredients: a thick egg dough and a peppery beef, barley and cabbage filling. Expect a fresher, less uniform roll than the shop version, without the machine-pressed ridges.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Chiko roll take?
2 hr 15 min all in — 50 min prep, 55 min cook, 30 min rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 6 rolls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
Mild.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Eggs. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Nut-free.
8 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan, Mixing bowl, Frying pan, Rolling pin, Dutch oven, Tongs.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.
What can I use instead?
Homemade dough → Two egg roll wrappers layered together. Quicker and crisper, but closer to a big spring roll than a Chiko.
What should I watch for?
Seal the seams well. A roll that opens in hot oil spits.
Any tips from this recipe?
Make the filling a day ahead. Cold, firm filling is far easier to roll. Uncooked rolls freeze well on a tray. Fry them from frozen at 165°C for about 10 minutes so the middle heats through.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Make the filling a day ahead. Cold, firm filling is far easier to roll.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
Similar dishes
Air Fryer Egg Rolls
Alternative Pan Fry Method: If you don’t have access to an air fryer, you can make these egg rolls using a traditional pan fry method. Add enough oil to a medium skillet with high walls so the oil is about 1/2 inch up th
A bit of work
Dim sims
Dim sim
Melbourne's big pork and cabbage dumplings, open at the top, steamed until firm or steamed and then deep-fried. Eaten with soy sauce.
Medium
Sausage rolls
Pork and beef mince with grated onion and carrot, rolled in puff pastry and baked until deep brown. Eaten hot with tomato sauce.
Easy
Meat pie
A hand pie of minced beef in gravy under puff — the Australian bakery counter, not a shepherd's pie in a dish.
Medium