Vietnamese Spring Rolls

These are hands down one of my favorite things to eat! Crispy, light, and not greasy these fried Vietnamese spring rolls are as addictive as my Hong Kong Fried Chicken Wing recipe! Whenever I go out to any Vietnamese restaurant these are always my go to appetizer to order.

Served with some delicate lettuce leaves and array of fresh herbs like mint and Thai basil this combination of fresh crunchy, hot, and crispy deliciousness is to die for! Dipped into a little Nước chấm, a sauce that has the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and sourness, it really brings this dish together.

These are amazingly easy to make at home so here’s a basic recipe to do it! The basic ingredients are ground pork, mung bean vermicelli to give it that nice spongy noodle texture, wood ear mushrooms to give the filling a little extra crunch, and some nice root vegetables in this case we have carrots.

While they are easy to make, you need be sure to follow these 3 key steps otherwise you may have an EXPLOSIVE mess:

Make sure when you wet the rice paper that’s it’s not too wet and gently soak up any extra moisture with a paper towel.
Do not over stuff each roll with too much filling, less is better than too much.
Tightly roll each piece and make sure the ends are well sealed like below.

Another key step is DO NOT OVERCROWD the pan when frying! Trust me this was my first big mistake! I added WAY too many in the first batch and quickly realized these little guys STICK LIKE CRAZY as soon as they touch and after trying my best to pry them apart they ended exploding…not fun.

After the first fry you can cool them and freeze for storage. Then the next time you’re in need of some little fried delights just fry them directly straight from the freezer until golden brown! YUM!!

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Prep time: 20 min     
Cook time: 10 min     
Total time: 30 min     
Servings: 20

Ingredients

Filling

1 pack of rice paper (8.5 inch diameter)
1 lb ground pork
6-8 pieces of re-hydrated wood ear mushrooms chopped
1 cup of cooked mung bean vermicelli chopped
1 large shallot finely minced
3 cloves of garlic finely minced
3 tsp salt
1 medium carrot finely grated

Dipping Sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp hot water

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients for the filling. Make sure the wood ear mushrooms, vermicelli, and grated carrots are as dry as possible. Trick – squeeze dry the ingredients with a paper towel.
Add hot water to a shallow wide dish then dip one piece of rice paper quickly on both sides into the water.
Place rice paper on a wooden cutting board and dab any excess liquid with a dry paper towel.
On the end closest to you about 2 inches from the edge, place about 2 tbsp of filling and shape into a cylinder about 3 inches wide.
Carefully fold over the rice paper end closest to you over the filling. Then fold over the rice paper on each side to cover the filling.
Tightly roll the rice paper away from you and ensure the ends are well sealed. If rice paper becomes dry you can dab a little more water at the end to seal.
Place rice paper rolls onto a tray lined with parchment paper and allow to air dry for at least 5-10 min. Important – do not fry rice papers when surface is still wet!
In large pan, put enough oil until 1 inch in height from the bottom of the pan and heat till 325°F.
Fry spring rolls in batches making sure not to overcrowd or else they may stick. Fry evenly on all sides for 5 min until crispy and place on a wire rack to cool. At this point you can freeze them for later on. **See note below.
Fry spring rolls in batches for a final round for another 3 min until golden brown. Drain on a wire rack.
Serve hot by wrapping with fresh mint or Thai basil in a lettuce leaf and dip in the sauce. Enjoy!

**Note: You can freeze these spring rolls ahead of time and fry directly from frozen until heated through and golden brown.