Garden Spring Rolls Recipes

VIETNAMESE SPRING ROLLS RECIPE (GOI CUON)

Steps:

• Add pork, onion, salt and sugar to a small pot and add enough water to cover about 1 inch above the pork. Bring to a boil on high heat and then lower to medium and cook for about 25-30 minutes or until pork juices run clear when poked at the thickest part, or it registers 145 F with an instant read thermometer at the thickest part.
• Cover the pork in a bowl as it cools so it doesn't darken. Once cool, slice the pork as thinly as you can to make rolling easier later.
• Defrost shrimp in water bowl. Once defrosted, de-vein the shrimp. Hold a shrimp up to a light to locate the vein, pierce the whiter part (joint) of the shrimp just below the vein with a toothpick, and pull the toothpick upwards towards the shrimp back. Do this slowly to remove the vein. Piece again at another joint if the vein breaks to remove all traces of vein. Repeat with all your shrimp.
• Cook the shrimp: add shrimp, salt, and enough water in a small pot to barely cover your shrimp. Boil on medium-high heat for only about 1.5 to 2.5 minutes or until the shrimp is no longer translucent. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process.
• Remove the shells and tails from shrimp, and cut the shrimp in half along the body.
• Cook either your rice noodles according to the package instructions. Timing can vary wildly depending on noodle thickness and brand. This can be anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes. Drain and cool the noodles under cold, running water to stop it from cooking further.
• Prepare your vegetables by rinsing and drying them.
• Add warm water to a plate and soak the rice paper sheet for about 5-10 seconds. Soak the rice paper just enough so that it is pliable and easy to handle, but remove the sheet before it gets too soft and sticky. Lay rice paper on a plate and begin to assemble your roll.
• Add lettuce towards the bottom of the rice paper. Leave 1 to 1½ inches of space on either side of the rice paper. Layer with mint and chives. Try to not add too many items because it will be harder to roll and might tear your rice paper.
• Add shrimp in the middle of the rice paper with the orange skin facing down.
• Layer the sliced pork on top of the shrimp.
• Add the noodles across the vegetables, spread evenly across.
• Fold the left and right sides towards the middle so that it's snug. Lay some chives lengthwise with one end poking out. Then fold the bottom up to cover the noodles. You want to keep the roll tight, so lightly squeeze it together as you roll. Continue to roll upwards to complete the spring roll.
• In a pan over medium heat, saute garlic in oil until fragrant.
• Add in hoisin sauce, peanut butter, and water and mix thoroughly.
• Bring to boil, and then immediately turn off the heat and pour into a heat safe dipping bowl. The sauce will slightly thicken as it cools.
• Sprinkle ground peanuts on each sauce dipping bowl, and leave the chile paste on the side so others can add to their own dipping bowl as desired.

VEGETABLE SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Slice the vegetables into long pieces. I used carrots, beans, cabbage, peas, corn and capsicum
• Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions until transparent and pink.
• Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for a few more seconds
• Next, add the vegetables and green chillies, sprinkle some water and cook closed until soft yet crunchy.
• Turn heat to high and add the soya sauce.
• Mix well for a minute on high.
• Lower heat. Mix in salt and pepper.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
• Remove from heat and set aside to cool
• Thaw your pastry sheets per package instructions
• Add 2-3 tablespoons of the filling per sheet and roll them (see pictures below)
• Deep fry until golden brown
• Serve hot with ketchup or chilli sauce

VIETNAMESE SPRING ROLLS WITH CRISPY TOFU

Steps:

• Start by preparing rice noodles in boiling hot water for about 10 minutes (read instructions on package), then drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and cut pressed tofu into small rectangles. Toss in 3 Tbsp cornstarch and flash fry in ~3 Tbsp sesame oil (amounts as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), flipping on all sides to ensure even browning - about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.
• Prep veggies and prepare almond butter sauce by adding all sauce ingredients except water to a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add enough hot water to thin until a pourable sauce is achieved. Adjust flavors as needed (I often add a little more chili garlic sauce and brown sugar).
• To add more flavor to the tofu, transfer ~2.5 Tbsp of the sauce to a small bowl and add an additional Tablespoon each of soy sauce, sesame oil and brown sugar or agave (amounts as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) and whisk to combine.
• Add tofu back to the skillet over medium heat and add "sauce/glaze," stirring to coat. Cook for several minutes or until all of the sauce is absorbed and the tofu looks glazed, stirring frequently (see photos). Set aside with prepared veggies and vermicelli noodles.
• To assemble spring rolls, pour very hot water into a shallow dish or skillet and immerse rice paper to soften for about 10-15 seconds.
• Transfer to a damp cutting board or damp towel and gently spread out edges into a circle. It may take a little practice, so don't feel bad if your first few attempts are a fail!
• To the bottom third of the wrapper add a small handful of vermicelli noodles and layer carrots, bell peppers, cucumber, fresh herbs and 2-3 pieces of tofu on top (see photo). Gently fold over once, tuck in edges, and continue rolling until seam is sealed.
• Place seam-side down on a serving platter and cover with damp warm towel to keep fresh. Repeat until all fillings are used up - about 8-10 spring rolls total (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).
• Serve with almond butter sauce and sriracha or hot sauce of choice. I like to mix mine and go dip happy.
• Leftovers store well individually wrapped in plastic wrap, though best when fresh.

VIETNAMESE FRESH SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Boil rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes, or until al dente, and drain.
• Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the hot water for 1 second to soften. Lay wrapper flat. In a row across the center, place 2 shrimp halves, a handful of vermicelli, basil, mint, cilantro and lettuce, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on each side. Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end with the lettuce. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
• In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili sauce.
• In another small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce and peanuts.
• Serve rolled spring rolls with the fish sauce and hoisin sauce mixtures.

GARDEN SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix cabbage and chili sauce. Fill a shallow bowl with water. Soak a spring roll wrapper in the water just until pliable, 30-45 seconds (depending on thickness of rice papers); remove, allowing excess water to drip off., Place on a flat surface. Layer cabbage mixture, red pepper and onion down the center; top with avocado and basil. Fold both ends over filling; fold one long side over the filling, then roll up tightly. Place seam side down on a serving platter. Repeat with remaining ingredients., Cover with damp paper towels until serving. Cut rolls diagonally in half. If desired, serve with additional Thai chili sauce.

FRESH SPRING ROLLS WITH THAI DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• In a bowl of cool water, soak a wrapper until limp. Lay wrapper out flat. Place 1/6 of each ingredient down middle of wrapper, starting with lettuce. Fold over each end and tightly roll the wrapper around the contents, as if making a burrito. Moisten at seam; press to close.
• Lay on plate, cover with moist paper towel and refrigerate until ready to serve. Then slice in two and serve with Quick Thai Dipping Sauce, below, or peanut sauce.
• To make the Quick Thai Dipping Sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

CHINESE SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Mix the pork with the marinade ingredients and set aside for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Cut all of the vegetables to approximately the same size. You want everything the same size so each ingredient blends together.
• Brown the pork over high heat in 2 tablespoons of oil, and add the garlic, mushrooms and carrots. Stir fry for 30 seconds, and add the bamboo shoots, napa cabbage, and Shaoxing wine. Continue stir-frying for a minute. Adjust the heat to simmer the mixture, as the napa cabbage will release a lot of moisture.
• Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and sugar. At this time, you have the option of adding 1/4 cup of the decanted water from soaking the dried mushrooms. It strengthens the mushroom flavor, so this is purely according to your personal preference. You may also have to simmer the filling longer to reduce the additional liquid.
• Continue simmering the filling for another 3 minutes--until the napa cabbage is completely wilted--and stir in the corn starch slurry to thicken. How much slurry you add depends upon the wetness of the filling (this varies if your cabbage had more moisture or if you did add the optional mushroom water), but there should be no standing liquid at all.
• Transfer the filling to a large shallow bowl, and let cool. Place into the refrigerator to cool further-at least one hour. It's best to start with a cold filling for easier wrapping. The key to wrapping spring rolls is making sure that they're tight, yet not overstuffed. It's best to use fresh spring roll wrappers if you can, as freezing the wrappers can result in the spring roll skin being a bit too damp.
• Place the wrapper on a flat surface so that a corner is facing toward you. Use about two spoonfuls of the mixture per spring roll, and spoon it about 2 inches from the corner that is closest to you. Roll it over once, and, like you're making a burrito, fold over both sides. Continue rolling it into a cigar shape. With your fingers, brush a bit of the cornstarch water onto the corner of the wrapper that is farthest from you to seal it.
• In case you're wondering, we did try egg wash instead of the cornstarch mixture to seal the spring roll but the egg wash "stains" the spring roll, so it's best to use the cornstarch mixture.
• Place each roll on a tray. This recipe makes about 18-20 spring rolls. You can also freeze these spring rolls on the tray overnight, and transfer them to a zip-lock bag when they are completely frozen for future use. We usually fry some fresh and freeze the rest, unless we are hosting a party, in which case, these go like hot cakes!
• To fry the spring rolls, fill a small pot (which requires less oil) with oil until it's 2 to 3 inches deep. Heat the oil slowly over medium heat until it reaches 325 degrees. Gently add the spring rolls one at a time, frying in small batches. Carefully roll them in the oil so they cook evenly until golden brown and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels.
• Prepare the dipping sauce by adding all ingredients to a small sauce pan. Mix and heat until just simmering and pour into a small bowl. Serve the spring rolls hot with the dipping sauce!

FRESH SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Cook vermicelli noodles in boiling water, for just a few minutes, according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
• Gather all topping ingredients together, including chopped veggies, herbs, cooked shrimp.
• Add about 1 inch of water to a large, deep dish, or pie pan. Place one rice wrapper into the water and let soak for just 10-15 seconds. It should still feel pretty firm as you remove it and lay it on your counter or plate.
• (It will soften up as you add the filling ingredients, but If you let it soak for too long it will get too soft and will tear when you roll it up.)
• Layer 1-2 slices of each veggie, a few shrimp, a few leaves of each herb and a pinch of noodles on the 1/3 of the spring roll that is closest to you.
• Fold the sides of the spring roll in over the ingredients. Then pull the side closest to you up and over the ingredients, sealing everything together tightly, and rolling it up like a burrito.

THAI FRESH SPRING ROLLS (WITH VEGETARIAN OPTION)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Set rice wrappers aside. In a cup, stir together the soy sauce, vinegar, fish sauce (if using), and brown sugar.
• Place rice noodles, shrimp, bean sprouts, Thai basil, coriander, carrots, and spring onions in a large mixing bowl and drizzle the soy sauce mixture over. Toss to mix.
• Then form the rolls.
• Fill a large bowl with hot water (but not boiling, as you'll be dipping your fingers into it). Start by submerging 1 wrapper into the water. It should soften after 30 seconds.
• Remove the wrapper and place on a clean surface. Add another wrapper to the hot water as you fill and roll the first one.
• Place a heaping tablespoon of roll ingredients toward the bottom of the wrapper. Spread out the ingredients horizontally (in the shape of a fresh roll).
• Fold the sides of the wrapper over the ingredients, then bring up the bottom.
• Tuck the bottom around the ingredients and roll to the top of the wrapper.
• To secure the roll: Wet it with a little water on your fingers and press (like sealing an envelope).
• To serve, place your platter or bowl of rolls on the table along with the dipping sauce.
• Eat with your fingers; keep lots of napkins nearby.
• Gather the ingredients.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, mix together water, tamarind paste, sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, arrowroot powder dissolved in 3 tablespoons water, 1 clove minced garlic , and dried chile flakes, if desired.
• When near boiling, reduce heat to low, stirring until sauce thickens.
• Taste for saltiness, spiciness, and sweetness, adding more fish sauce (instead of salt), more sugar, or more chile flakes as desired.
• The sauce can be served warm or cold.