What happens when you combine a spring roll and a rice paper roll!

Considering how much I love both fried spring rolls and fresh rice paper rolls, I am actually surprised it has taken me this long to make this recipe. And now that I have, I really wished I'd discovered how good these are years ago. I've totally been missing out! The idea only occurred to me as I wanted to make a gluten free version of a spring roll.

So I went searching and of course such a recipe already exists. They are called Cha Goi, though I think that refers to a pork filling which I don't use. Anyway, fried rice paper rolls are totally a thing. My research came up with lots of different version including deep fried, TWICE deep fried, oven baked, pan fried and air-fried. I decided on a pan fired version but this recipe would work well with any cooking method.

However you decide to cook them, you must serve them with a tasty dipping sauce and fresh herbs and lettuce. It's totally mandatory! It's what brings the dish together - the freshness of the herbs really compliments the rich fried rice paper.

It should also be noted that whilst these are crispy, they are not as crispy as the traditional deep-fried spring rolls you get from your local take-away shop. The outside is more crispy with an element of chewiness. I actually really like it this way, it reminds me of super charred stir-fried rice noodles. But just wanted to give you a head up to not expect a super crispy roll. That's another reason the lettuce is important for this recipe, when you wrap it around the roll it helps make eating it easier.

The filling for these are super simple and takes less than 10 minutes to make. Feel free to play around with the filling adding tofu or mushrooms or whatever you feel like. If you aren't familiar with rolling rice paper or spring rolls it might take a couple of goes to get the rolling right. But don't let that put you off! Once you have got it done pat, it's actually quite fun and super satisfying.

I use store bought spring roll sauce as I wanted to keep this recipe simple. You want a light sauce like nuoc cham rather than a sweet chilli sauce. However many store bought Vietnamese dipping sauces contain fish sauce. So if you are vegetarian either make your own or hunt down a store bought vegetarian version.

Crispy Vietnamese Rice Paper Spring Rolls

Makes: About 14 rolls

Dietary guide: This recipe is vegan and gluten free is using GF kecap manis. To make it FODMAP friendly, replace the white spring onion with extra green spring onion and the crushed garlic with 1 teaspoon of garlic oil. Make sure your dipping sauce is FODMAP friendly.

Ingredients

100g of rice noodles

2 tablespoon of chopped green spring onion (green part only part only)

1 teaspoon of finely grated ginger

1 ½ teaspoon of crushed garlic

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

2 cups of grated carrot

2 cups of shredded cabbage

2 teaspoons of sesame oil

1 tablespoon of kecap manis

½ a Massel “chicken” stock cube dissolved in 1 scant tablespoon of hot water

Extra vegetable oil for pan frying

1 small iceberg lettuce

1 small bunch of Vietnamese mint

1 small bunch of coriander (make sure it has been well washed)

150ml of store bought or pre-made spring roll chilli dipping sauce

Instructions

Place the vermicelli in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let it sit for 2 minutes, drain into a colander and leave to dry a little as you prepare the rest of the filling.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok over a very high heat. When the wok is very hot add the white spring onion, garlic and ginger for about. Cook for about 30-60 seconds (until the onion etc. has taken on a little colour) stirring constantly.
Add the carrots and cabbage and continue to stir fry for 2 minutes.
Give the vermicelli noodles a rough chop on a chopping board to break up the long threads and add to the wok. Cook string consonantly for another minute.
Add the sesame oil, kecap mani and the dissolved stock cube. Take off the heat and stir until the sauce is evenly mixed through. The residual heat should mean the sauce is fully absorbed into the vegetable and noodle mix and there is no sauce/liquid left. If not, place back on the heat until and continue to fry until there is no liquid left. The mix need to be dry so it doesn't make the rolls soggy. Let it cool completely.
Fill a large shallow dish (wide enough to fit a sheet of rice paper) with water about an inch deep. Dissolve the sugar in the microwave with half a cup of water and add this to the water – the sugar water solution helps the rice paper go golden brown when cooking.
Submerge a sheet of rice paper in the water for a few second and lay on your bench – the rice paper will still be hard but will soften up quickly. Repeat with another 2 or 3 sheets (or you can choose to just work with 1 sheet at a time). You should now have 3-4 rice paper sheets on your bench to work with.
Place a small amount of the filling (about a small handful) length wise near the edge of the rice paper closest to you. Shape the filling into a log shape. Repeat with the other sheets on your bench. Fold the end (closest to you) up over the filling rolling away from you. Once you have rolled halfway or about 1 whole rotation, fold in one side of the wraper towards the middle and repeat with the other side. Make sure you have folded the sides in nice and tight with minimal air pockets. Now finish rolling the rest of the way – as you want to get the roll as tight as you can, try and stretch and pull the rice paper towards yourself tucking in any loose bits as you roll. It might take a few to get the hang of it so be patient! Place the finished rolls on a plate lined with baking paper and place in the fridge to dry out for an hour. You can skip this if you are in a rush but it may make the rolls less crispy. Repeat until all the mix is finished.
When the rolls are dried out and ready to go, heat a large frypan over low-medium heat with a enough vegetable oil to just cover the bottom. Fry the spring rolls in batches – careful to to overcrowd as the rolls will stick to each other. Cook until golden brown, turning frequently to ensure all side are cooked. Place on a wrack or plate and repeat until all rolls are cooked.
Serve with the lettuce, herbs and spring roll sauce on the side. It's best eaten by grabbing a piece of lettuce, adding some mint and coriander and then wrapping this around the spring roll before dipping it in the sauce. This not only makes it taste super yummy, but the lettuce helps to make it easier to eat as these spring rolls are not as crispy and sturdy as traditional wheat spring rolls.