How to Make Perfect Homemade Spring Rolls

Spring rolls are a Chinese food staple. In the West, they are often enjoyed as a starter to, or alongside, a Chinese takeaway. In East Asian countries, spring rolls are enjoyed as an appetizer or as part of a dim sum meal.

Spring rolls vary greatly in terms of both size and filling. Typically, they contain bean sprouts, shredded carrot and minced pork, although all vegetable or all meat varieties are also popular.

The Wrapper

When making spring rolls at home, getting ready-made wrappers is a must. It is exceptionally difficult to get them right if you are trying to make the dough yourself, yet many supermarkets will stock sheets that are ready to roll!

This is even backed up by legendary Chinese chef Ken Hom, who states that ‘wrappers are rarely homemade but purchased at a local store’. Pre-made spring roll wrappers are also far easier to work with and wrap around the filling, making the whole process quick and simple.

The Vegetables

While the exact fillings of each spring roll varies between recipes and restaurants, typically they are a fairly veg-heavy food. Common vegetable-based ingredients used in spring rolls include bean sprouts and carrots, which are almost essential to the spring roll, as well as bamboo shoots, cabbage, peas and mushrooms.

The carrot adds a little hint of sweetness to the spring rolls, while bamboo shoots and bean sprouts add to the crispiness of the dish. Conversely, adding cabbage or mushrooms can bring a softer aspect to the roll, creating a contrast in the texture.

The Meat

Although vegetable spring rolls are very popular, it is also very common to include meat. If you are a vegetarian, meat can be swapped out for strips of tofu – or just more vegetables!

The most common meat for spring rolls is pork, although chicken, duck and prawns are also used often. Although the flavourful char sui pork is a favourite in China, it often proves a little too chewy and dry for the spring roll, so simple minced pork is typically preferred for this dish.

Seasoning is an essential part of oriental cuisine. Soy sauce is, of course, a must for flavouring all of the fillings, while sesame oil and oyster sauce are also commonly used. For a sweeter taste, spring rolls can be seasoned with Chinese five spice and fresh ginger.

Rolling, Cooking, Serving

You may need a little bit of practice rolling each spring roll up, but it is fairly easy to get the hang of, especially if you watch a quick tutorial video! For the most part, water should be enough to keep the wrapper sealed, but if it doesn’t seem to be sticking then a small amount of egg, or a paste made from water and flour, should keep the roll in one piece.

While shallow-frying is an option if you are looking for a healthier take on the roll, deep-frying is far easier and tends to gain better results. Shallow-frying can be fiddly and tends to leave some parts unevenly cooked, whereas deep-frying ensures each roll is crisp and golden.

Of course, spring rolls can be enjoyed alone, but if you are a fan of dipping sauces, sweet chilli sauce, Chinese black vinegar and chilli oil are perfect choices.

What filling would you put in your spring rolls? Let us know via our social media channels! If you don’t have the time to make these yourself or would much rather have some pre-made spring rolls, check out our range of frozen oriental produce, including yummy spring rolls!