Fresh Vietnamese spring rolls are light, crispy, and airy. It will shatter in your mouth when you bite on it. Fresh Vietnamese spring rolls are simply irresistible.

The crackling sound of the first bite brings back the memory of the bustling old-school Dim Sum shop I once had as a kid. The middle-aged women pushing the dim sum cart trundled through the narrow gap between rickety tables. Watching the high tower of bamboo steamers with spring rolls, Char Siu Bao, Shumai, and shrimp dumplings is enough to make my belly rumble.

I will show you how to make this snack with crispy skin stuffed with tender-crisp vegetables, chicken, and shrimp.

But why is spring roll so popular?

Spring roll (also called summer rolls) is made with ingredients of universal appeal, which is perfect as the starter or as dessert for any Asian-inspired meal.

These homemade spring rolls are Cantonese style with a twist of Vietnamese spring rolls. You can make it in advance and deep-fried directly from the freezer. They are suitable for almost every palate and will be a total crowd-pleaser among your friend and family.

Let’s get started.

Eight tips you need to know to make the perfect spring rolls

Making spring rolls isn’t difficult, but before you jump to the recipe section below, take a few minutes to read through the following tips. You will be able to make top-quality spring rolls by understanding the details and tips I experienced after years of making spring rolls in my restaurant.

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1. Use thin spring roll wrappers

You need to buy the spring roll wrappers. Don’t try to make it. Even restaurants do not make the wrapper themselves. It is available in most Asian markets.

You can get rice paper wrappers at the market or the frozen section of any grocery store in Asia. If you are in America, the US, Europe, or Australia, you may need to head to the Asian grocery stores.

Choose the thin spring rolls wrapper. The thinner it is, the more crispy and crunchy the fried spring rolls will be. On the contrary, the thick wrapper will produce a chewy texture.

Note: Spring roll wrappers in different from wet rice wrappers to make rice paper wraps. Ask the shopkeeper when you purchase if you are unsure.

2. Try a different combination of the spring roll filling

What is in a spring roll? The filing of this recipe consists of the ingredients I use in my restaurant, which are available and loved by the locals.

Yam bean is one item that might not be available in some countries. If you can’t find it, ignore it. However, mung bean vermicelli (vermicelli noodle) has a crunchy texture that is hard to substitute. It should be available in most Asian grocery shops.

Explore the different combinations of filling according to your preference. Below are my suggestions;

– Use only chicken or shrimp instead of both, or substitute with pork.

– Omit both chicken and shrimps for the vegetable spring rolls

– Replace the fish sauce with light soy sauce for a more Chinese flavor. (This recipe is more of a Vietnamese version, and fish sauce is widely used in Vietnamese cuisine.)

– Omit yam bean if it is difficult to get.

Note: If you like Vietnamese rice paper rolls instead of spring rolls, check out the recipe here.

Create your own set of filling

There is no ‘standard formula’ for the fillings of spring rolls. Use any local ingredients as a substitute if you do not like any ingredients in the following recipe or have difficulty getting them. For example, yam beans may not be available in every part of the world. Use the following tips to build up your formula of the ingredients.

1. Include some crunchy elements. E.g., carrots, yam beans, or fresh vegetables such as a lettuce leaf.
2. Use some springy ingredients. E.g., mung bean vermicelli (cellophane noodles), or rice vermicelli.
3. Add some aromatic vegetables: E.g., coriander leaves or scallions (green onions).
4. Have some protein: E.g., chicken, shrimp, or tofu for vegetarians.
5. A mix of saltiness (fish sauce, soy sauce), sweetness (sugar), and sourness (lime or lemon juice)

3. Shred the vegetables by hand or with a mandoline

The reason not to use the box grater to shred the vegetables (yam bean, carrots) is to keep the filling dry. Grating will release more liquid from the vegetables. Dry filing means crispy spring rolls.

I suggest you cut the vegetables into fine julienne or good quality mandoline.

4. Keep the filling ingredients dry

We need to keep the filling dry, as I mentioned in point 3. Here are more suggestions that you can achieve this:

– Cut the vermicelli into short strips of 5 cm in length. Soak it in water until it is soft, which takes about 15-30 minutes. Place it in a colander or wire mesh strainer and let it drip dry.

– Let the cooked meat and shrimp become cold before mixing other ingredients. The filling should be cold while wrapping as the steam from the hot filling will wet the wrappers. The spring rolls will be crispy if you use wet wrappers.

Keeping the filling dry is the most crucial step in making spring rolls and is often neglected.

5. Keep the spring roll wrappers moist

This point seems to contradict my earlier point to keep the filling dry. However, exposing the spring roll wrappers will dry quickly and become brittle and hard. This happening is similar to the unattended tortilla wrap left on the table.

Here are the steps I used to keep the wrappers soft and moist:

– Remove a packet of spring roll wrappers from the freezer. (You need to keep the wrappers in the freezer after purchase.)

– Leave it at room temperature to defrost until you can separate the wrappers from one another without breaking them.

– Place one of the wrappers on the table and start wrapping the spring rolls.

– Cover the unused wrappers with a damp towel or plastic wrap so that they will not turn dry and brittle.

6. Do not overstuff the spring rolls

How much filling should you put in one spring roll?

It depends on the size of the wrapper.s The spring rolls should not have too much filling since they can break while deep frying. But, on the other hand, it is not tasty if too little filling is used. (Think of making the delicious ravioli!).

The size of the wrapper I use is 20cm by 20cm. Therefore, the ideal amount is 20g to 25g of filling for each spring roll.

It is good if you have a kitchen weighing scale. If you don’t, make the best judgment visually. Before I bought my weighing scale, I put one portion of the filling as the sample in front of me as a reference for how much filling I should use for the rest of the spring rolls.

7. Wrap tightly with no air pockets

It is not hard to wrap the spring roll. First, wrap the filling tightly so that there is no space inside. The spring roll does not look good aesthetically if it is partially empty. In addition, the oil will seep in to fill this space during deep-frying, which will make the spring roll taste oily.

8. Deep freeze by arranging the spring rolls with a single layer

After you wrap the spring rolls, you can store them in the freezer for future use. However, they tend to stick together easily.

You can follow the following method to avoid this:

– Place a sheet of plastic on a large tray or flat surface.

– Arrange the spring rolls neatly on the plastic sheet, with the seam side down. (It helps secure the corner so that it doesn’t pop out)

– Freeze the spring rolls until hard enough. Once they are frozen, they will not stick to each other anymore.

– Keep the spring rolls in an airtight container and freeze.

– You can deep fry the frozen spring rolls directly.

Do you need a dipping sauce for the spring rolls?

These crackling spring rolls are so good that you don’t even need a dipping sauce. Chinese spring rolls are served without a dipping sauce. However, I understand there are different palates, and some of you may want to take a dip to see how different it will be.

You can opt for simple ketchup, hoisin sauce, peanut dipping sauce, chili garlic sauce, or mayonnaise, but it might not do justice to the fabulous desserts that you have made,

Therefore, I have included the spring roll sauce recipe for the spring rolls since this is an adaptation of the Vietnamese spring roll recipe. The sauce consists of classical Vietnamese ingredients. It is the amalgamation of sweet, sour, and salty, plus a hint of spiciness.

The Shrimp Spring Roll Recipe