Spring Rolls
This is my mum’s recipe. Sometimes I just crave some home-made food. The last time I had one of these was back in 2015. I just wanted a taste of home so I went out to buy the ingredients to make myself some spring rolls. You can leave out some ingredients if you can’t find them at your local store. Whatever filling you decide to leave out you will have to bulk it up with another filling ingredient. This is just a rough guide for the filling. Depending on how much filling you use you might end up with more or less at the end. I am going to use 2 sheets of pastry to wrap each Spring Roll. That way the filling is secured inside and is easy to roll and manage. You can save money by using 1 sheet of pastry. This way you will get a light crispy crunch but you will risk the spring roll falling apart if your filling is too moist. Also if the pastry cracks while frying, you will get oil seeping into the spring roll.
Servings Prep Time
24Pieces 30Minutes
Cook Time
7-8Minutes Each
Servings Prep Time
24Pieces 30Minutes
Cook Time
7-8Minutes Each
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. You need to defrost the Spring Roll pastry roughly 1-1.5 hours before you use it. Don’t take it out of the packet or it will go dry and crack. Just put it on the windowsill or next to the cooker/radiator to defrost.
  2. Thaw the imitation crab sticks. Remove all plastic wrap.
  3. Soak or boil the mung bean glass noodles in hot water for 15 minutes until soft. Drain off the excess water.
  4. Prepare the raw meat by boiling it for 10 or until cooked.
  5. Wash and devein the prawns/shrimps. You can cut this up into little pieces or slice them in half. Marinate it in 2 T-spoons of sesame oil. Optional.
  6. First cut the pork cross grain.
  7. Lay it flat then cut into strips.
  8. Shred the imitation crab sticks.
  9. Wash the beansprouts.
  10. Clean and chop the shallots.
  11. In the a deep/large frying pan or wok add about 2-3 T-spoons of oil. When it starts to smoke a little you are ready to start stir frying. Add the shallots. Stir a little then add the raw prawns/shrimps. Stir a little until they turn pink/white. You may add seasoning at this stage if you like otherwise add it at a later stage.
  12. Add the pork/chicken. Stir a few times to mix the ingredients. You may add the imitation crab sticks at this stage or later because it is not raw so it is not vital to pre-cook it.
  13. Add beansprouts.
  14. Give the mung bean glass noodles a few snips with a pair of scissors before you throw that into the wok. This will make the strands a lot shorter and easier to eat. Give all the filling a good mix. The filling shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes to cook.
  15. Transfer all the filling into a mixing bowl to get it off the heat. Add 2 whole eggs to help it bind. This is not vital but it helps.
  16. You may add the crab sticks at this stage if you haven’t already done so. Add the seasoning: fish sauce, salt, sugar, soy sauce, Knorr chicken stock powder, pepper and more sesame oil if you like.
  17. After a bit of mixing put the filling into a colander to help drain a bit of the excess juice. The beansprouts will slowly release some water. If you don’t do this your spring rolls will get wet on the inside and the pastry will fall apart when wrapping and frying. Let the mixture rest for 20-30 minutes to cool down and soak up some flavour. Sometimes it is best to prep this the night before. You can now prepare the pastry.
  18. Peel and separate each sheet of Spring Roll pastry. You will notice there is actually a difference between the 2 sides. One side is rougher while the other is smooth. There is no difference when it comes to taste but I prefer the smooth side on the outside. Stack the sheets on top of each other and cover with a damp cloth until you need it.
  19. Discard the excess juice. Your filling is ready to use. If the filling is too wet or too hot you will have to work very fast to get it into the deep fat fryer. Otherwise the pastry will fall apart. I advise you to let it cool down and drain off the excess juice before you start wrapping. Get one egg and beat it. This is for sealing the spring roll later.
  20. Place 2 sheets of pastry down with the smooth side underneath. This will become the outside when rolled. Put it so that one corner is pointing towards you.
  21. The first spring roll is a test to see how much filling you will need. Do not over stuff it. Use a spoon or tongs to transfer the filling to the edge of the pastry that is closest to you.
  22. Lift up the corner and cover over the filling. This should allow you to grab and pull the filling towards you.
  23. Roll over again until you get half way across the pastry.
  24. Fold the left corner towards the centre.
  25. Fold the right corner towards the centre.
  26. Keep rolling until you get to the end. The final corner should be underneath.
  27. Pull the roll towards you ready for the second layer of pastry.
  28. Start exactly the same as the first pastry. Pick up the corner and roll until you get to the centre of the pastry.
  29. Stop at the centre.
  30. Fold the 2 side corners inwards.
  31. Hold in place and roll once more to hold the corners in.
  32. At the final 2 inches brush some beaten egg all over.
  33. Roll until the whole spring roll is sealed.
  34. Keep repeating until you have completed all spring rolls.
  35. Use a deep fat fryer or a pot of oil with enough oil to submerge the spring rolls when frying to give it an even colour. The oil should be hot enough to fry and not burn. If it is not hot enough the oil will soak in and you will get greasy spring rolls. I usually use 180-190 degree oil. Another way I test the oil is by using a pair of bamboo chopsticks. Stand a pair in the oil until you see it starts to bubble on the edges. Because all the ingredients are pre-cooked they shouldn’t take more than 7-8 minutes to fry. Take out the spring rolls when they have turned a golden brown and place on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil.
  36. You can serve it on its own or with a vinaigrette dipping sauce. If you have any left overs you can try grilling or pan frying it to make it even tastier. Bon Appetit!
Recipe Notes

Tools & Equipment:

Table/Counter top for rolling the Spring Rolls.

Bowl for egg wash.

Damp cloth for keeping the pastry from drying out.

Tongs or long bamboo chopsticks for turning the Spring Rolls in the oil.

Deep fat fryer/Wok/Deep Sauce Pan wide enough for frying the Spring Rolls.

Colander and mixing bowl.

Wok/Frying Pan.

Wooden Spatula or something to stir fry with.

You can wrap the Spring Rolls in advance and leave in the fridge but the filling must be cold and drained of any juices or it will wet the pastry and won’t hold together when frying. Put it in a sealed plastic tub and place some paper towels in it to help keep any water from making contact with the pastry. If you don’t cover the pastry it will crack in the fridge and may fall apart when handling it to fry. Any areas that have cracked after placing in the fridge can be patched up with a little flour and water mix/batter. Appearance wise it might not look too great but when frying this will stop all oil seeping into the Spring Roll making it greasy.

To reheat you can deep fry it but I wouldn’t advise this. I rather grill it or pan-fry it. Otherwise microwave is another option but may give the skin a soggy texture.

Most people just eat Spring Roll as it is but in my family we always have the “Vinaigrette Dipping Sauce” that we eat with nearly every dish! Recipe can be found in Banh Cuon Recipe or Sui Et Recipe.

Leave out any ingredients you cannot obtain. The quantity of the filling is not vital. You just need a good balance of ingredients and enough to wrap your Spring Rolls.

Hope you will like! See you next time. X