Crispy Rice Paper Spring Rolls

Watch how to make it here

This Vietnamese-inspired rice paper spring roll recipe is stuffed with a delicious vegetable filling: taro, carrots, wood-ear mushrooms, and more. It’s shallow-fried to be perfectly crispy and crunchy with every bite. Pair it with my sweet-chili sauce and enjoy!

A few notes:

  1. Although taro root is used and preferred for this recipe, sweet potato can be used as an alternative.
  2. Wood-ear mushrooms are typically sold dried (and need to be rehydrated) but can be found fresh at most Asian supermarkets. Alternatively, shiitake mushrooms can be used. Try to avoid mushrooms that release a lot of water such as white, baby Bella, or portobello mushroom.
  3. After wrapping the spring rolls, place each piece 1 inch apart on a parchment paper-lined tray or plate while working on wrapping the rest. The spring rolls will stick to most surfaces so parchment paper is best for this.
  4. When cooking the spring rolls in the pan, allow 1 inch between each piece to prevent them from sticking to each other.
  5. The spring rolls are best served immediately or the day of. However, if planning on saving the spring rolls, it is best to store the filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The rice paper can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. When ready to eat, follow the wrapping steps below and cook as needed.

Wrapping steps

             

 

Crispy Rice Paper Spring Rolls

1. Although taro root is used and preferred for this recipe, sweet potato can be used as an alternative.
2. Wood-ear mushrooms are typically sold dried (and need to be rehydrated) but can be found fresh at most Asian supermarkets. Alternatively, shiitake mushrooms can be used. Try to avoid mushrooms that release a lot of water such as white, baby Bella, or portobello mushroom.
3. After wrapping the spring rolls, place each piece 1 inch apart on a parchment paper-lined tray or plate while working on wrapping the rest. The spring rolls will stick to most surfaces so parchment paper is best for this.
4. When cooking the spring rolls in the pan, allow 1 inch between each piece to prevent them from sticking to each other.
5. The spring rolls are best served immediately or the day of. However, if planning on saving the spring rolls, it is best to store the filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The rice paper can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. When ready to eat, follow the wrapping steps below and cook as needed.

Prep Time

35 min

cooking time

10 min

Servings

4

total time

45 min

Difficulty

Ingredients

1
Spring rolls
2
1/2 cup textured vegetable protein, rehydrated
3
2oz bean thread noodles (cellophane noodles), rehydrated and minced
4
3 cups boiling hot water
5
1 carrot, minced
6
3oz wood ear mushrooms, minced
7
2 garlic, peeled and minced
8
1 ginger (thumb-sized), peeled and minced
9
1/4 white onion, minced
10
1/2 taro root (palm-sized), peeled and grated
11
1 tsp MSG or salt
12
1 tbsp mushroom seasoning
13
1 tbsp sugar
14
1.5 tbsp vegan oyster sauce or sweet soy sauce
15
1 tsp white pepper
16
5 tbsp vegetable oil
17
24-28 (22cm) rice paper (2 pieces per spring roll)
18
4 cups room temperature water
19
ingredient-item
20
Sweet Chili Sauce
21
½ cup white distilled vinegar
22
½ cup sugar
23
½ cup water
24
2 tbsp sambal oelek or Sriracha
25
1 tbsp red chili flakes
26
2 tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water, mix well

Cooking Instructions

1
Step 1
In a small bowl, soak the textured vegetable protein with about 1.5 cups of boiling hot water for 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, soak the bean thread noodles with the remaining boiling hot water for 5 minutes. After it has been rehydrated, drain the water from the textured vegetable protein and noodles and set aside.
2
Step 2
Peel the carrot, garlic, ginger, and white onion. If using a food processor, add the carrot, wood ear mushrooms, garlic, ginger, noodles, and white onion and pulse until finely minced. If using a knife, mince everything by hand. The goal is to get the pieces to be a small as possible to fit inside the rice paper. Finally, grate the taro root.
3
Step 3
In a large bowl, combine the textured vegetable protein, noodles, carrot, garlic, ginger, white onion, mushrooms, and taro root. Add MSG, mushroom seasoning, sugar, white pepper and vegan oyster sauce. Mix everything until well combined.
4
Step 4
Wrapping the spring rolls: In a medium-sized bowl, add 4 cups of room-temperature water. Quickly dip one piece of rice paper in the water bowl in a circular motion until the entire paper is completely wet, no longer than 3-5 seconds. The rice paper will feel stiff initially but will gradually soften in about 30-45 seconds. Place the wet rice paper on a flat surface such as a plate or chopping board. Add 1.5 tbsp of the vegetable filling in the center lower edge (closer to you) of the rice paper. Use your fingers to softly mold the filling into a rectangular log about 3.5-4 inches long. Using your thumbs, lift the lower edge forward and use your pointer fingers to hold the filling in place. Lift the left and right sides to align with the length of the filling and roll all the way to the end. To prevent the spring roll from ripping, wrap the spring roll with another piece of rice paper (double wrapping) using the wrapping process mentioned above. Repeat these steps until all the filling has been used up. This should make about 12-14 spring rolls.
5
Step 5
On medium heat, add the vegetable oil to a nonstick pan. While the pan is heating up, quickly mix the cornstarch and water to create the cornstarch slurry. If left untouched for more than a couple of minutes, the cornstarch will solidify at the bottom but this can be remedied by mixing it again. Brush each spring roll with the cornstarch slurry on all sides. At this point, the oil should be heated throughout. Add the spring rolls to the pan and cook on each side for 4 minutes each (being careful not to let them touch each other). Since this is a rice-based wrapper, the spring rolls will not turn golden brown and will be white in color. It should, however, create a very crispy outer layer.
6
Step 6
Serve with lettuce, mint, basil, and sweet chili sauce. Enjoy immediately.
7
Step 7
Sweet Chili Sauce: In a small saucepan on medium heat, combine the vinegar, sugar, water, sambal oelek, and red chili flakes. Mix the cornstarch and 1 tbsp of water to create a cornstarch slurry. Once the sauce begins to boil, pour the cornstarch slurry. Stir for about a minute until thickened. Allow the sauce to cool completely before storing it in an airtight jar for up to one week.
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ABOUT AUTHOR
Hi, I'm Tiff!

Tiff Loves Tofu is a blog all about simple and delicious plant-based recipes, largely influenced by my culture and life experiences. I hope to show people that cooking wholesome, vibrant plant-based meals is not only easy but it is loads of fun. So, let’s get cooking!

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