Delicious crispy pastry rolls with a delicate vegetable filling, typical of Chinese cuisine: Spring Rolls!
They are called this because, traditionally, they are prepared for Chinese New Year, which coincides with the beginning of spring; they have become a staple of world gastronomy.
They are golden, crunchy sticks made with rice paper sheets (or similar pastry), filled and then fried — perfect as finger food and as an appetizer.
There are many variations for the filling: vegetable-only, with bean sprouts, with pork, and you can also choose to fry them or bake them in the oven.
In today’s recipe I prepared the vegetarian version, which our family prefers because it’s lighter and easier to digest, with a filling of green cabbage, carrots and onion.
Making them at home is simpler than you might think and, once ready, they are very satisfying.
The pastry that wraps them is a sort of crepe made from flour, cornstarch and water, but since I didn’t have much time I preferred to buy ready-made phyllo dough; even better would be rice paper sheets which you can find in ethnic shops or online. In any case, for the more determined, I leave the ingredients and method for preparing the homemade batter for the wrappers in the NOTES at the bottom of the recipe.
If you follow the instructions it will be easy to close them and obtain perfect bites that, once fried, will delight your guests and instantly transport you to the Far East.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Energy 1,100.49 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 29.40 (g) of which sugars 3.04 (g)
- Proteins 4.19 (g)
- Fat 108.80 (g) of which saturated 18.60 (g)of which unsaturated 84.76 (g)
- Fibers 2.86 (g)
- Sodium 624.71 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 80 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1 roll phyllo pastry
- 3 1/2 cups green cabbage, shredded (about 10.6 oz / 0.66 lb)
- 2 oz carrot, grated (about 1 medium)
- 2 oz white onion, chopped (about 1 small)
- 2 tbsp rice wine (rice)
- to taste salt
- to taste peanut oil for frying
- peanut oil
Tools
- Wok
Steps
First, clean and cut the cabbage, carrots and onions into thin strips.
Pour the seed oil into the wok, heat it, then add the onions and sauté them for a couple of minutes. Add the carrots and cabbage, season with salt and pepper and mix.
Add the rice wine to the wok, stir-fry the vegetables for about 5 minutes, leaving them still crisp. Transfer them to a colander over a bowl to remove excess liquid.
Now assemble the spring rolls. Lay a sheet of pastry on a clean kitchen towel and place about 50 g of filling at the lower end (not in the center).
To assemble the roll, start from the lower end and fold the pastry to enclose the filling, then roll up to the top end, giving it a cigar shape. Finally fold the lateral sides in, both right and left, making sure the side edges stay inside and that the closure of the roll remains underneath the roll.
Heat the wok with plenty of seed oil inside; it should reach a temperature of 356°F. When the oil is at temperature, slightly lower the heat and begin frying the Spring Rolls a few at a time, turning them occasionally. They should become golden on both sides. Once ready, transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels.
Serve them still hot accompanied by soy sauce, hot chili sauce or sweet-and-sour sauce.
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NOTES
WRAPPER. If you have the time and want to try making the wrappers at home, you will need 125 g (about 1 cup) of all-purpose flour, 350 ml (about 1 1/2 cups) of water, 70 g (about 1/2 cup) of cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until you obtain a smooth, lump-free batter. Let it rest for about 30 minutes, then cook it in a nonstick pan as if they were crepes, lightly oiled. You will need to pour only a small amount of batter as the wrapper must be extremely thin, almost transparent.
FILLING. To the filling suggested in the recipe you can add pieces of pork or chicken or other vegetables.
FRYING OIL. I recommend using peanut oil because it has a higher smoke point; sunflower oil is an acceptable alternative.
WINE. The original spring roll recipe calls for rice wine; substituting ordinary table white wine will not guarantee the same flavor.
STORAGE
As with all fried preparations, spring rolls should be eaten just after cooking. Alternatively, you can prepare them the day before, do not cook them and store them in the fridge or freezer, but raw.
SPRING ROLLS BAKED IN THE OVEN
If you want to avoid frying the Spring Rolls you can bake them in the oven. In that case brush them with a little water, place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake in a static oven at 392°F for 15 minutes.
