Crispy Spring Rolls
Crispy spring rolls with juicy chicken, vegetable, and mushroom filling served with a zingy fresh dipping sauce. Easy to make, affordable, freezable and perfect as a warm party snack.
Servings 12 pieces
Ingredients
Spring rolls
- 450 grams (1 lb) chicken mince - note 1
- 125 grams (1 ½ cups) cabbage - julienned
- 150g grams (1 ⅙ cups) carrot - julienned
- 30 grams (2 tablespoon) ginger - finely chopped or grated
- 10 grams (1 ¼ tablespoon) garlic - finely chopped or minced
- 6 each (6 each) shiitake mushrooms - rehydrated and finely sliced. Alternatively, 8 to 10 fresh mushrooms. note 2
- 25 grams (¼ cups) scallions - finely chopped
- 28 grams (2 tablespoon) cooking oil
- 3 grams (⅗ teaspoon) MSG - optional
- 30 grams (2 tablespoon) soy sauce
- 4 grams (½ tablespoon) corn starch - plus extra for sealing the spring rolls
- 28 grams (2 tablespoon) sesame oil
- 12 each (12 each) spring roll wrappers - note 3
Dipping sauce
- 15 grams (1 tablespoon) fish sauce - or soy sauce
- 25 grams (2 tablespoon) sugar - regular granulated white sugar or palm sugar
- 30 grams (2 tablespoon) lime juice - roughly the juice from one fresh lime
- 30 grams (2 tablespoon) water
- 4 grams (3 ⅓ teaspoon) garlic - crushed or chopped
- 2 each (2) birds eye chilies - finely sliced
Instructions
Prepare vegetables
- Soak the Shiitake mushrooms in boiling water for about 10 minutes to soften.
- Slice the carrot and cabbage into thin strips roughly 1.5 inches or 4 cm long.
- Once the mushrooms are soft, drain and slice them up thinly.
- Place the cabbage, carrot, and mushrooms into a bowl, and set aside until needed.
- Wash and chop the scallions finely and keep them separately to the side for now. We add this later once the veggies are cooked to preserve the freshness and color.
- Mince, finely chop or grate the peeled garlic and ginger. Place to the side until needed.
Make the filling
- Heat a wok or frying pan on medium-high heat with a touch of cooking oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken mince and fry until golden brown before adding the ginger and garlic. Cook for a minute longer, taking care not to burn the ginger and garlic.
- Add the finely sliced carrots, cabbage, and mushrooms. Stir-fry for a few minutes until the veggies start to soften.
- Mix the soy sauce with cornstarch to make a slurry. Add it to the wok or pan and cook it for another minute until the sauce has thickened and taken up by the other ingredients.
- Finally, add the chopped scallions and sesame oil. Give it one more stir to combine, then set aside to cool down.
Roll spring rolls
- Defrost the spring roll pastry then keep it wrapped in a damp cloth while you roll the spring rolls. Place a sheet on the worktop with a point pointing towards you. Place three to four heaped tablespoons of filling onto the pastry sheet about one-third from the bottom.
- Fold the pointy bit closest to you over the filling while keeping the pastry tight by pulling it towards yourself. Fold the sides over to the middle keeping the roll taught.
- Mix cornstarch with water to make a slurry. This is the "glue" that will keep the spring rolls from opening up. Brush or rub the slurry onto the unrolled pastry lip. Finish rolling up the spring roll to the end making sure it's sealed tight.
- Keep the spring rolls on a parchment lined tray while you make the rest.
Cooking
- Heat a fryer or pot of frying oil to 180°C or 356°F. Fry the spring rolls for 3-4 minutes moving them around until golden and crispy.
- Drain on a wire rack or kitchen paper.
Making dipping sauce
- Dissolve regular or palm sugar in lukewarm water, then add the juice of a lime and fish sauce.
- Thinly slice or chop as many hot red chilies as you feel comfortable with. I like medium spicy, so 1 bird's eye chili is plenty.
- Grate or finely chop in a garlic clove.
- Mix and use straight away, or keep in the fridge for later use. This sauce will last for a week in the fridge or many months in the freezer.
Video
Notes
- Chicken Mince - You can grind your own, or substitute the chicken for pork, beef, or shrimp.
- Shiitake Mushrooms - Dried mushrooms should be soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes or until soft and fully hydrated. Once hydrated, you squeeze out the excess water before using it. The soaking liquid makes a good little mushroom stock. If you use fresh Shiitake mushrooms, then do not soak them. You can also use wood ear, oyster mushrooms or any other mushroom, but Shiitake has the best flavor and most umami. Ensure to cook fresh mushrooms well to avoid a wet filling. Dried Shiitake mushrooms can be found in Asian shops and the Asian section of some supermarkets, as well as online.
- Spring roll pastry - There's a whole section at the beginning of the post explaining everything about the pastry needed for spring roll. It also outlines the differences between rice paper rolls and egg rolls.
- Frying vs Baking - Fried spring rolls come out crispier and better than baked or air fried spring rolls. However, if you want to opt for a healthier spring roll, then you can bake them in the oven or air fry them. They will still come out crispy, but not in the same way as fried.
- Storage and freezing You can make spring rolls ahead of time and store uncooked in the freezer until you need them. Conveniently fry from frozen for best results. They lose crispiness quickly, so eat straight away.
- Nutrition - The nutrition information is per spring roll cooked in oil, including the dipping sauce. For baked or air fried versions, the calories will be less.
Nutrition
Serving: 30grams Calories: 122kcal Carbohydrates: 6g Protein: 7g Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 1g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Monounsaturated Fat: 4g Trans Fat: 0.03g Cholesterol: 32mg Sodium: 278mg Potassium: 289mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 3g Vitamin A: 2123IU Vitamin C: 7mg Calcium: 17mg Iron: 1mg
Keywords:chinese spring rolls, crispy spring rolls
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