The ultimate guide to making homemade spring rolls

Did you know?

Contrary to popular belief, spring rolls are not Chinese. Like pho soup (pronounced “fire-uh”) and bo bun, these fritters are a Vietnamese specialty. Depending on the region, the shape and fillings vary. The spring rolls of Northern Vietnam are the version we know in Europe, fried rice paper rolls stuffed with meat, while in central Vietnam, spring rolls are prepared in the shape of a triangle, or flattened rectangle.
They are thus different from spring rolls, because although the latter also originate from Vietnam, they are not fried, but eaten raw.

How to make homemade spring rolls?

The trickiest part of the recipe is folding the spring rolls. Don’t worry, we have detailed all the steps in the recipe that follows. Also, know that the two frying baths are essential to obtain perfectly crispy donuts.

The recipe for spring rolls with pork and black mushrooms and the famous spring roll sauce

You will find black mushrooms, soy vermicelli, rice leaves, rice vinegar and nuoc nam sauce in the world cuisine section of any supermarket or Asian grocery store.

Preparation: 45 mins
Cooking: 10 mins

For 15 spring rolls (5 people)

• 2 spring onions
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 shallots
• 50 g dehydrated black mushrooms
• soy vermicelli
• 300 g of minced pork
• 15 rice leaves to roll the spring rolls
• neutral frying oil
• ½ bunch of mint
• ½ bunch of coriander
• 15 salad leaves

For the sauce

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 50 ml nuoc-mâm sauce
• 50 ml tablespoon of rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp. tablespoon of white sugar
• 1 pinch of chili powder
• 10 cl of water
• 1 tbsp. tablespoon of grated carrots

Rinse the spring onions. Peel the garlic cloves and shallots, then chop everything with a knife.
Rehydrate the black mushrooms in a bowl of lukewarm water for about 15 minutes. Once softened, chop them.
Fill another bowl with lukewarm water, rehydrate soy vermicelli for 5 minutes. Cut the vermicelli into thirds.
Mix the onions, shallots, black mushrooms, vermicelli and garlic with the pork until you obtain a homogeneous stuffing.
Fill a pie dish with lukewarm water. Dip the rice leaves in one by one, then place them on a clean damp cloth. Proceed sheet by sheet to prevent them from sticking together.
On the bottom of a sheet, place a sausage of stuffing. Fold both sides of the sheet inwards (you should obtain a rectangle). Roll the spring roll upwards, enclosing the stuffing.
Repeat until all ingredients are used up. Let the spring rolls rest with the weld against the work surface while waiting to cook them. This will prevent them from opening.
Heat a frying bath to 180°C. Immerse the spring rolls in it for 5 minutes, drain them on absorbent paper. Cook a second time in oil, until the spring rolls are colored.
Place the spring rolls on absorbent paper.
Prepare the spring roll sauce. Chop the garlic. Mix all the sauce ingredients, except the carrots, in a saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves completely. Transfer the sauce into cups, then add the grated carrots.
Serve hot with mint leaves, coriander, salad, and spring roll sauce.

Note: the nem sauce, without the carrots, can be kept for one month in an airtight jar placed in the refrigerator. If you added carrots, consume it within 5 days of preparation.

Our spring roll recipes to vary the pleasures

If the original recipe is with pork, the spring rolls can be prepared with shrimp, vegetables or chicken. For a Franco-Vietnamese version, they are stuffed with duck confit, or for dessert, with banana and chocolate.
Right away, head to Asia with six recipes for crispy spring rolls.