Fried spring rolls are a staple in most Asian cuisines. They are made using varying recipes that, while being passed down through generations of families, are unlikely to be the same from one recipe to the next. They are traditionally made without meat, but they do contain fish and/or oyster sauce as well as a number of vegetables and herbs. While customarily deep-fried, these spring rolls can alternatively be baked in the oven.
Recipe Servings: 40
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Total Time
45 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp peeled garlic
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro stems or roots
- ½ Tbsp whole white peppercorns
- 1¾ cups vegetable oil, divided
- 8 oz firm tofu, cut into 1-inch-long matchsticks
- 2 Tbsp dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked in warm water until pliable, thinly sliced
- 2.8 oz dried glass noodles or mung bean threads, soaked until pliable and cut into 6-inch pieces
- ¼ cup water or vegetable broth
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1¼ cup fresh bean sprouts
- 40 6 x 6-inch frozen spring roll skins, thawed and kept under a kitchen towel
- 1½ cups vegetable oil, for frying
- Sweet chili sauce or peanut sauce, for dipping
Directions
- With a mortar and pestle, make seasoning paste by grinding together garlic, cilantro roots, and peppercorns. Set aside.
- Pour 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Fry seasoning paste until fragrant.
- Add tofu, followed by mushrooms and glass noodles or bean threads.
- Add water or broth, fish sauce, and oyster sauce to the mixture. Stir-fry until bean threads or glass noodles begin to soften.
- Observe the moisture in the pan and adjust heat accordingly—the mixture should not be too wet but also not so dry that it burns.
- Once excess moisture has evaporated and bean threads or glass noodles have softened, add bean sprouts. Cook just until sprouts are wilted.
- Remove skillet from heat and allow filling to cool completely. Filling must be completely cool before use to avoid producing steam that will tear spring roll skins.
- Fill each spring roll skin with 1–2 tablespoons of filling mixture. Roll up skin to seal, tucking sides in as you go to keep mixture inside.
- Pour remaining vegetable oil into an 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Fry 3–4 spring rolls at a time, cooking evenly on all sides, until crispy and golden brown. Repeat until all spring rolls are fried.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately with sweet chili sauce and/or peanut sauce for dipping.
Notes
To bake spring rolls, place filled rolls on a baking sheet and brush the outsides thoroughly with vegetable oil. Bake seam-side down at 375°F until crispy.
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