The term spring rolls includes a wide range of filled, rolled, or dim sum appetizers found in East Asian, South Asian, and Southeast Asian cuisine. The name is a literal translation of the ‘spring roll’ (Chinese chūn juÿn).
The type of wrapper, fillings, and cooking technique used, as well as the name, vary significantly within this vast area. The specifics of this dish largely depend on the culture of the region. As such, you will find many different varieties of this tasty snack across Asia.
Authentic Chinese spring rolls are soft, light, and crispy. The filling is also sweet, full of tender vegetables/ In spring rolls, every single ingredient in the mixture should be tasted and differentiated.
Chinese Spring Rolls
- Author: Romae Chanice Marquez
- Recipe Category: Main Dish / Snacks
- Cuisine: Chinese
The whole preparation and cooking time is 50 minutes. This recipe makes at least 20 spring rolls and is good for four people.
Photo credit: @homencooking / Instagram.com.
Chinese Spring Rolls Ingredients
For the rolls,
- 20 spring roll wrappers
- 1 cup shredded pork
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- 1 cup shredded napa cabbage, white part recommended
- 4 tbsp. cooking oil
- 2 tbsp. oyster sauce
- 60g bean sprouts
- oil for deep-frying
- 1 tbsp. flour
- 1 tbsp. water
For the marinating sauce,
- 1/4 tsp. white pepper
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. Shaoxing cooking wine
- 3 tsp. cornstarch
- 2 tbsp. sesame oil
Chinese Spring Rolls Instructions
Step 1: Marinate pork in a small bowl with all the marinating sauce. Set aside roughly 15 minutes. Heat up about two tablespoons of cooking oil ina wok, add shredded pork in and fry until the meat is cooked fully.
Step 2: Shred the vegetables finely. Heat about one-half of a tablespoon of oil in the wok and fry all other side ingredients until slightly soft. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and blend well.
Step 3: Prepare your spring roll wrappers and all the ingredients. Whisk the water and flour slurry in a small container.
Step 4: Assemble the spring rolls one by one. You can use the flour and water mixture to secure the wrappers. Preheat the frying oil in a small pot or wok to deep-fry. Place a chopstick in when the oil is ready, and there will be lots of little bubbles all around it. Or you can check using the leftover wrappers. The contents will instantly float on the water. Temperature for oil should be about 160 degrees Celcius or 320 degrees Fahrenheit
Step 5: Heat the oil for about 2-3 minutes, then place the spring rolls in and proceed to fry for 10 seconds. Guide the spring rolls so they slowly slide in and fry deeply in small batches. Deep fry until they are lightly browned.
Step 6: Serve with your favorite dip.
Chinese Spring Rolls Additional Information
- Per serving, this recipe has 326 calories, 10mg of cholesterol, 535mg of sodium, and 13.4g of protein.
- This recipe will take 50 minutes to fully prepare.
- This recipe is suitable for about four people.
- Spring rolls are believed to have originated from China. These were a seasonal food eaten during the spring. They started as a pancake filled with the spring vegetables of the new season; a welcome change from long winter months of frozen foods.
Image source: steamykitchen.com
About Chinese Spring Rolls
In Chinese cuisine, spring rolls are savory rolls inside a thinly wrapped cylindrical pastry with cabbage and other vegetable fillings. They’re usually consumed in mainland China during the Spring Festival, hence the name. Varieties with meat, especially pork, are also popular.
In general, fried spring rolls are small and crisp. These may be sweet or savory; usually, the latter is made with vegetables. Before they are pan-fried or deep-fried, they are wrapped tightly.
Conclusion
Non-fried rolls in the spring are typically larger and savorier. Like fried spring rolls, unfried spring rolls are usually made by filling the wrappers with precooked ingredients.
For more international recipes, click here.
Featured Image: @instakocken / Instagram.com, @mallick.smruti / Instagram.com
