Spring rolls may look complicated, but are actually quite easy to make, especially after you’re comfortable working with the rice wrappers. The key to making the rolls is to have the filling ingredients prepped and laid out. Pair with a dipping sauce if you prefer, and your family will have a fun meal you can eat with your hands.
The wrappers used to make spring rolls (sometimes referred to as summer rolls) are one of those products easy to walk past in the grocery store without a second glance. Spring rolls, though, are a terrific no-cook meal, and one that can be put together with your kids. Traditionally, rice paper wrappers are filled with noodles, shrimp, carrots, basil, and mint leaves, but really you can fill these wrappers with just about anything (hint: wrap your leftovers!).
How to Assemble a Spring Roll
- Once you have your filling ingredients ready to go, fill a large bowl or shallow pan (a pie plate works really well) with very warm water.
- Place one of the rice paper wrappers in the warm water for about 20-30 seconds so it will become pliable.
- Carefully lift the wrapper out of the water and set on a dishtowel or work surface. The wrapper may stick together in places when you lift it out of the water, but you can easily spread it out once you have it down on a surface. Fill the wrapper, leaving about an inch at one end as well as an inch on either side. Place the crunchier ingredients in the center of your filling pile to make it easier to fold.
- Once you have the filling in place, fold the inch of wrapper you left at one end over the ingredients, making sure to tuck everything in. Fold over the sides, then continue to roll. (This is the same technique you would use if making a burrito.) What makes these so easy to make is that the wrapper sticks so well to itself since it is made out of glutinous rice.
- Keep completed rolls on a dish covered with a moist paper towel or dish towel so the wrapper doesn’t dry out.
- You can make these ahead of time, up to the night before. Be sure to keep them covered with a moistened paper towel or kitchen towel, and if you have more than one layer just use plastic wrap to separate them so the rolls don’t stick together.
Recipe for Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Here is a pretty traditional recipe for spring rolls, but we encourage you to try different combinations of ingredients and have some fun! All you really need are the wrappers, and the rest is up to you (our suggestions below). We’ve also included two great dipping sauces to try with these spring rolls.
- 6 rice-paper wrappers (1 package usually contains 12 sheets)
- 3 carrots, peeled and grated, or julienned
- ½ cucumber, peeled and grated, or julienned
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro leaves
- 2 scallions, chopped finely or cut lengthwise into slivers
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped mint leaves
- Sprouts
- 9 cooked shrimp, cut in half lengthwise
- 3 ounces of bean thread or rice noodles, cooked according to package instructions
Once you have all the ingredients ready, follow the steps above for how to assemble your spring roll. For each of these rolls, use 3 pieces of the shrimp. After you put the shrimp down on the wrapper, continue to fill the roll with a little bit of the rest of the assembled ingredients.
Ahead of time: Most of the preparation of the filling ingredients can be done ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble.
From Kimberly’s kitchen: There are two kitchen utensils I use to make the vegetable preparation (the carrots and cucumbers) super easy for these rolls. Although you can grate them, I prefer the texture of the julienned (longer slivers) vegetables. So, I use either a mandolin with the julienne blade attached (there are various models available at different price points), or a handy julienne peeler that my mom gave me a few years ago that works like a charm. (I also think it is safer to use for a julienne cut, especially when in a hurry.) Both of these work on similar ingredients for salads or sautés, too.
Variations
As we already mentioned, these rice wrappers can be filled with just about anything. Just make sure that the ingredients are either in smaller pieces, chopped, or thinly sliced. Here are some other possible filling combinations that we’ve either tried or seen:
- Noodles or rice, Napa cabbage, baby spinach leaves, basil leaves, fresh cilantro, fresh mint, and scallions
- Cucumber, carrots, scallions, extra firm tofu (tossed in some dipping sauce), noodles, avocado, and basil
- Bacon, shredded lettuce, and tomato
- Marinated cooked chicken, shredded lettuce, carrots.
Dipping Sauce
This is a traditional dipping sauce for spring rolls from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything:
- 1 small fresh chile, minced, or ½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tablespoon rice or other mild vinegar
- 1 tablespoon nam pla (Thai fish sauce) or soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
Combine the ingredients and set aside while you assemble your spring rolls. You can make the dipping sauce ahead of time and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Peanut Dipping Sauce
This delicious recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated. It is a great sauce to use for raw vegetables too.
- 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Asian chili sauce (optional)
- 2 teaspoons peanut oil or vegetable oil
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Whisk peanut butter, hoisin sauce, water, tomato paste, and chili sauce, if using, in small bowl. Heat oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in small saucepan over medium heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in peanut butter mixture; bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors blend, about 3 minutes. (Sauce should have ketchup-like consistency; if too thick, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until proper consistency is reached.) Transfer to bowl; cool to room temperature.
Wrap it up!
