Excited to share with you all a dish that is so close to my heart. Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls recipe is how my family makes it for special gatherings or holiday parties.
What are Fried Spring Rolls?
Fried spring rolls are crispy, savory rice paper rolls with some fillings (meat/tofu, rice vermicelli noodles, mushrooms and carrots). The traditional filling is minced pork, to make this plant-based, I'm swapping it with crumbled tofu. The fillings are then rolled with some rice papers, and fried or deep fried in some oil. Personally, I like shallow frying my rice paper spring rolls, flipping them when one side is golden and crispy.
Alternative ways to frying the Spring Rolls
To make the spring rolls healthier, you can also air fry or bake them in the oven:
Air fry instruction: Spray the rolls with some baking oil. Fry the spring rolls at 390°F (200°C) for 5 minutes, then flip the rolls and cook for additional 5 minutes
Bake: Pre-heat your oven to 390°F (200°C), brush the rolls with some oil and bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway.
How to rolls the Spring Rolls?
- Prepare your rolling station with a deep plate/bowl of warm water, a plate to roll, rice papers and the filling.
- Dip the rice paper in water for a few seconds until the rice paper is softened but not too wet. The rice paper will continue to soften on your work surface.
- Add about 1.5 tablespoon of the filling on the bottom side of the rice paper (close to you), tuck the rice paper in, fold in the left and right sides. Keep rolling carefully like holding a baby until it becomes a spring roll.
How to fry the Spring Rolls without oil splash or explosion?
- If the rolls stick to the pan too much: use a non stick pan to yield the best result. It could be that you flip the rolls too early, because when the other side becomes crispy it won’t stick anymore.
- If the rolls explode and splash oil when frying: this may mean that the heat is too high or there is too much moisture on the rice paper rolls. Fry on medium and reduce the heat when it’s become hot. Make sure the rolls are not too wet before frying, pat dry with a paper towel if needed.
Other ways to enjoy Spring Rolls
I personally like to eat spring rolls with some lettuce and herbs, as finger food. If you want to incorporate it in a meal, you can also eat it over rice/vermicelli noodles with carrot, herbs and drizzle on the dipping sauce.
📖 Recipe
Vietnamese Vegan Fried Spring Rolls
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Vietnamese fried spring roll is a staple for the special holidays and family gatherings. It can be deep fried or fried and served with plenty of fresh herbs 🌿 Here’s how my family and I like to make it at home!
Ingredients
The filling
- 400 g firm tofu
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion
- vermicelli rice noodles
- 5 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 5 dried wood ear mushrooms
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- salt and pepper
Wrap the spring rolls
- rice papers
Fish sauce mix
- 2 tbsp vegan fish sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 6 tbsp water
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 2 chili
Optional for Garnish
- lettuce (or other veggies)
- cilantro
Instructions
Make the filling
- Put the dried shiitake and wood ear mushroom in hot boiling water for 15 minutes. Put the rice noodles in hot water for 10 minutes to soften.
- Mash the tofu. Finely dice and mince the carrot and onion.
- After soaking in water, drain the mushroom and finely dice into small pieces.
- Drain the rice noodles and use the scissor to cut into small pieces (about 2cm in length).
- In a big bowl, mix the tofu, diced carrot, onion, mushroom and rice noodles.
- Add 1 tablespoon corn starch and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
Make the spring roll
- In a shallow dish, pour some warm water (you can combine 2 parts boiling water and 1 part cold water)
- Dip the rice paper into the warm water for a few seconds. Do not soak them for too long or they will become too sticky to handle.
- Put about 1.5 tablespoon of the filling on the lower edge of the rice paper.
- Wrap the filling, fold in the sides and keep rolling. Repeat the steps to make the other rolls.
Fry the spring rolls
- In a pan, add oil. When the oil is a bit hot, add the spring rolls. Give some space between each roll to avoid sticking.
- Let the spring rolls sit on the pan for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Then flip to the other side and repeat until all sides are golden.
- Put the spring rolls on some paper towels to remove the excess oil.
- Make the fish sauce mixture by combining the vegan fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, water, lime juice, minced garlic and minched chili.
- Serve the spring rolls with lettuce, herbs and fish sauce mixture.
Notes
The recipe serves best right after frying, it's super crunchy and has the best texture. If you leave the fried spring rolls overnight, the rice paper will get soggy. Therefore, I recommend you to only fry the ones you are planning to eat.
For meal prepping, you can batch roll a lot of them, then keep them in the fridge or freezer and only fry them before eating. Put parchment paper between the rolls to avoid them from sticking together.
The spring rolls (before frying) keep well for up to 3-4 days in the fridge and up to 2 months.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course, Snack
- Method: frying, deep frying
- Cuisine: vietnamese
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