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Crispy Rice Paper Spring Rolls

Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time12 minutes
Refrigeration1 hour
Total Time2 hours 12 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: vietnamese
Keyword: black pepper, carrots, chili peppers, dried mung bean noodles, fish sauce, garlic, gluten free, lettuce leaves, lime juice, mint leaves, neutral oil, peanut oil, rice vinegar, rice wrappers, shallots, shiitake mushrooms, sugar, warm water
Servings: 10 spring rolls
Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com

Equipment

  • thermometer

Ingredients

Spring Roll Filling

  • 2 ounces dried mung bean noodle bundle cooked, drained, and cut into 2” pieces
  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil avocado, vegetable, or canola
  • 1 small shallot finely chopped
  • 6 shiitake mushrooms large, stems removed, caps chopped small
  • 1 small carrot grated or sliced in thin strips
  • 1 garlic clove finely chopped, zested or grated
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar granulated
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground

Softening the Wrappers

  • 10-12 Rice Paper Wrappers square or round
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 1 tablespoon sugar granulated

For Cooking the Spring Rolls

  • Peanut Oil for frying

For Serving

  • 10 mint leaves large, optional
  • 10 lettuce leaves optional, I used little gem but romaine or butter leaves would also be great

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)

  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sugar granulated
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice freshly squeezed
  • 1-2 garlic cloves medium-sized, finely chopped
  • 1/2-1 tablespoon hot chili pepper (jalapeno, Fresno or Serrano), finely minced, amount depends on you tolerance to spice, optional

Instructions

Making the Filling

  • Soak the mung bean noodles in boiled water for 2-3 mins until softened and drain well. Cut noodles into 2-inch pieces with a scissor or knife.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring for 1-2 mins until starting to soften but before it browns. Next, add the mushrooms, carrot, and garlic. Cook for 2-3 min until all ingredients have softened. Then add 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to the pan and mix to combine. Lastly, mix in the noodles and remove pan from the heat and let cool slightly.

Spring Roll Assembly

  • While the filling is cooling, line a cutting board with damp paper towels. In a shallow bowl or pie dish, combine 1 1/2 cups warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar until sugar dissolves. Dip a rice paper sheet in the sugar water for 10-15 seconds, until the entire wrapper has been dipped (not soaked) until just pliable (it will continue softening as you work).
  • Place the wrapper on the damp paper towel-lined cutting board. Add 2 heaping tablespoons of filling near the bottom of the wrapper, fold up the bottom, then fold in the sides, and roll tightly, trying to avoid air pockets at all costs. The rice paper wrapper will stick to itself so no need to use anything additional to seal the spring rolls. Repeat with remaining wrappers. Place each rolled spring roll on a damp paper towel-lined sheet pan or plate, uncovered in the refrigerator for approx 20-60 mins. This is a very important step because it helps dry the wrappers which ultimately helps the spring rolls 1) reach their maximum crispiness level and 2) helps reduce bubbling of the wrappers as they fry.

Making the Dipping Sauce

  • While spring rolls are in the fridge, make the dipping sauce. In a small bowl mix together 1/4 cup of warm water (not shown in photo above), 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1-2 garlic cloves, 1/2-1 tablespoon hot chili pepper if using. Mix until the sugar is dissolved. Set sauce aside.

Cooking the Spring Rolls

  • In a large dutch oven, add enough neutral oil so that is halfway up the sides of the pot, (for me it was approx 10-12 cups of peanut oil.) Heat to 325 degrees using a thermometer.
  • It’s best to fry the spring rolls in small batches—about 3-4 at a time, making sure they don't touch once they are added to the oil as the wrappers remain sticky until an initial crust forms. (Frying them in small batches allows the spring rolls enough space to avoid contact with the other spring rolls.) Cook each batch for 5 to 6 minutes, or until light golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to remove the spring rolls and place them on a rack that’s set inside a foil-lined baking sheet with paper towels on top of the foil to catch any oil drainage. Repeat process, making sure the oil temperature adjusts back to 325 degrees before adding the next batch.
  • When ready to serve, re-fry the spring rolls (yes, you need to fry them twice!). Double-frying is the key to ultra crispy spring rolls! Reheat oil to 325 degrees and place new paper towels in the baking sheet (no rack needed this time). For the double-fry you can add five spring rolls into the oil at a time because they are no longer sticky. Cook for 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Place spring rolls on the paper towels to drain excess oil. Total cook time (1st and 2nd frying) is 6 1/2 to 8 minutes.

Final Assembly

  • Place spring rolls on a platter with the dipping sauce. For an authentic Vietnamese experience, serve with lettuce leaves and fresh herbs. This step is totally optional but if using, wrap the spring roll in the lettuce leaf with mint tucked inside. Dip the spring roll in the sauce and enjoy the experience!

Notes

Add a protein to the filling...chopped shrimp, ground chicken, or ground pork.
Other sauces such as sweet chili sauce can be paired with the spring rolls.
If you’re not gluten free, wheat wrappers can be substituted for the rice wrapper. This will give the spring rolls a totally different texture, more like the typical crispy spring rolls found at most asian restaurants.