Spring Rolls – better than your Takeaway shop

ByDamian Doan
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Pork and prawn spring rolls made with golden egg wrappers, packed with juicy pork, prawns, glass noodles and crunchy wood ear mushrooms. I roll them small for finger food or make them big, cut them into crispy chevrons and pile them onto our Vietnamese vermicelli bowls with nouc cham.

In our family, these spring rolls have never been the polite little appetiser that everyone eats before the main meal. They are the main meal.

If your experience with spring rolls are those skinny, semi empty with mushy fillings you get from your local take away shop, let me change your perception. Once you’ve eaten these, you will never buy take away shop spring rolls again. Especially when these freeze so well ready for you to whip out next time.

These. Are. Better. Yeah I said it!

Spring rolls that's better than your takeaway shop's

Why you will love these spring rolls

  • They are packed with pork and prawns, not mushy questionable filling.
  • Egg wrappers are easy to roll and fry beautifully crisp.
  • These can make small finger-food rolls or larger ones for vermicelli bowls.
  • They are easy to prepare ahead when we have family or friends coming over.
  • The uncooked spring rolls freeze brilliantly.
  • Everyone can build their own vermicelli bowl at the table.

They also disappear at an alarming speed. I now put a few aside before bringing the platter to the table. This is not selfish. It is sensible meal planning (for myself hehehe).

Small versus large spring-roll wrappers

Most Asian grocery stores sell spring-roll wrappers in two main sizes. I keep both in the freezer because they are useful for completely different occasions.

Small spring-roll wrappers

Small wrappers are generally around 12–15cm square. They are perfect for short, narrow spring rolls that can be eaten in two or three bites. The perfect size for kids.

Smaller spring rolls are also more crispy.

Large spring-roll wrappers

Large wrappers are usually around 20–22cm square. These are the wrappers I reach for when spring rolls are going into our Vietnamese vermicelli bowls.

The larger sheets can hold considerably more filling without tearing. I roll them longer and slightly thicker, then cut each cooked spring roll diagonally into two or three pieces.

This creates those crisp pointed chevrons with the juicy filling exposed in the middle. They look fantastic piled over vermicelli noodles and, more importantly, all those cut edges catch the nuoc cham.

Do not get carried away with the filling. If the spring rolls are enormous, the wrapper will become dark before the filling cooks through.

What goes into my spring-roll filling?

Spring rolls ingredients

Pork mince

Pork mince gives the filling richness and keeps it juicy. I use regular pork mince rather than extra-lean mince because a little fat carries all that garlic, ginger and fish-sauce flavour.

This is a spring roll. It is being deep-fried. Let’s not pretend this is a salad.

Prawns

Prawns and pork are a match made in heaven. The flavour combination is perfect for a spring roll.

I chop them by hand rather than putting them into a food processor. I like finding little pieces of prawn throughout the filling. If you blend them completely, you lose that texture and end up with seafood glue.

The prawns can be slimy to chop if you’re using the traditional knife rocking method. Grab your cleaver and go to town on these prawns so they don’t slip away.

minced prawns

Bean-thread glass noodles

Glass noodles soak up the juices from the pork and prawns while giving the filling a light, springy texture.

I soak them until flexible, drain them well and use kitchen scissors to cut them into short pieces. Approximately 1-2cm long. Don’t cut them too short or fine.

bean thread noodles in the bag

Dried black fungus

Dried black fungus, also called wood ear mushroom, adds the crunch to the filling without giving the filling a strong mushroom flavour. They may look and sound weird, but definitely don’t skip these. You can buy these dried from your local Asian grocery store.

Soak it in warm water until fully expanded, trim away any hard sections and chop it finely.

wood ear mushrooms after soaking

Garlic, ginger, onion, spring onion and fish sauce

Garlic, ginger, onion, spring onion and fish sauce give the filling its savoury flavour.

I keep the seasoning relatively simple because the pork and prawns should still taste like pork and prawns. The fish sauce brings everything together without needing a supermarket shelf full of sauces.

How to roll spring rolls

1. Lay out the egg wrappers with the corners facing up/down. Spoon some of the filling in a row 1/3 way down the wrapper leaving space at the ends.

step 1 add mixture 1/3 way up from the bottom

2. Roll the wrapper around the filling semi tightly. Stop rolling halfway up the wrapper.

Step 2 roll up half way

3. Dab the two ends on the sides with a bit of water and fold them in.

step 3 - bring in the sides

4. Dab the top of the wrapper with some water to help the roll seal and stay together. Keep rolling until you get a nice tubular spring roll. Set aside on a tray and avoid stacking spring rolls on top of each other otherwise they will loose their nice round shape and worst case, the wrappers may stick to each other!

step 4 - roll tightly (but not too tight)

How we serve spring rolls

Always serve with Nouc Cham! That is the golden rule in our household.

Vermicelli bowls

When we are having spring rolls with vermicelli noodles, I use the large wrappers and make the rolls slightly thicker.

Once they are cooked, I cut each spring roll diagonally into two or three chevrons. I love the way the golden pointed pieces look piled over the noodles—and the exposed filling soaks up the nuoc cham beautifully.

I build each bowl with:

  1. A generous handful of cooked vermicelli noodles
  2. Shredded lettuce and sliced cucumber
  3. Plenty of mint, coriander and Thai basil
  4. Pickled vegetables, if we have them
  5. Sliced spring-roll chevrons
  6. A very generous spoonful of nuoc cham

Sometimes I assemble the bowls before bringing them to the table. More often, I put everything on large platters and let our family build their own.

It is easier, the salad stays crisp and nobody can complain that someone else received more spring rolls. If your bowl has fewer spring rolls, that is now entirely your own fault.

These are also fantastic served alongside lemongrass grilled pork in a Vietnamese vermicelli bowl. Grilled pork and spring rolls may sound excessive, but I have never looked at that combination and thought, “This meal would be better with less delicious food.”

Wrapped in lettuce

How to eat spring rolls - wrapped in lettuce, dipped in nouc cham

This sound too simple to be good. But trust me, wrap one of these bad boys in lettuce, with a slice of pickled daikon or carrot, dipped in nouc cham makes a perfect mouthful of flavour.

Pre-make these pickled daikon and carrot today for the next time you fry up fry up some spring rolls.

Spring rolls – better than your takeaway shop

Print Pin
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Chinese, Vietnamese
4

Ingredients

Spring spring rolls

  • 500 g pork mince
  • 300 g prawns peeled and deveined
  • 20 g dried wood ear/black fungus mushrooms
  • 50 g dried bean-thread glass noodles
  • 1 medium carrot peeled and grated
  • 1 small brown onion finely diced
  • 3 spring onion finely chopped
  • 2 clove garlic minced
  • 20 g ginger (fresh) grated
  • 2 tbps fish sauce
  • 1 medium egg
  • 1/2 tps salt
  • 1/2 tps pepper
  • 10 large egg spring roll wrappers or 20 small wrappers
  • neutral oil for frying

Instructions 

  • Prepare the noodles
    Place the 50 g dried bean-thread glass noodles in a bowl and cover them with warm water. Leave them for approximately 10 minutes, or until flexible but not completely soft. Drain them thoroughly, then use kitchen scissors to cut them into pieces around 1-2cm long.
  • Prepare the mushrooms
    In a separate bowl, soak the 20 g dried wood ear/black fungus mushrooms in warm water for 15–20 minutes, or until fully expanded. Drain it, trim away any hard centres and chop it finely. I make sure both the noodles and mushrooms are properly drained before adding them to the filling. Wet ingredients create wet filling, and wet filling creates soggy wrappers. Nobody has ever gathered excitedly around a plate of soggy spring rolls.
  • Chop the prawns
    Pat the 300 g prawns dry with paper towel, then chop them into small pieces. Chop them fine enough to mix evenly through the pork but still large enough that we can taste little pieces of prawn in the finished spring rolls.
  • Chop and mince remaining ingredients
    Peel and grate 1 medium carrot, finely chop 1 small brown onion, chop 3 spring onion, mince 2 clove garlic, grate 20 g ginger (fresh).
    • After grating the carrot, squeeze out all the water from the carrots before adding it to the mixture. All that excess moisture will make the spring rolls soggy and fall apart.
  • Mix the filling in a bowl and add seasoning
    Add all the ingredients along with 500 g pork mince into a bowl, crack 1 medium egg into the bowl and mix as thoroughly as possible. Add 2 tbps fish sauce, 1/2 tps salt, 1/2 tps pepper. Use your hands and scoop the mixture from the bottom of the bowl and bring it to the top, and ocassionally squeeze the mixture through your fingers to ensure the seasoning is evenly distributed.
  • Roll the spring rolls
    Remove the wrapper from the packaging. Place the wrapper diagonally from you and place a small line of mixture 1/3 way down across ways. Don't over fill it, you will get a feel for how much after you have made a couple. Tightly roll the wrapper around the filling until you get to the halfway up the wrapper. Fold in the side corners and continue rolling upwards. Dab the top corner of the wrapper with some water to help seal the wrapper together. Continue rolling until you get a nice uniform round spring roll
  • Heat the oil
    Using a wok, dutch oven or a heavy bottomed pot, power enough oil to cover the spring rolls. Heat the oil to 165-170c. Either use a thermometer or use the chop stick test. Stick the tip of a WOODEN chopstick into the oil and if it starts to bubble within 2 seconds then the oil is hot enough.
  • Deep fry spring rolls
    Fry the spring rolls in batch so the oil temperature does not drop too much. I usually fry 4 large spring rolls at a time (or 6 smaller ones). Larger spring rolls will take around 7-9 minutes and smaller ones will take around 5-6 minutes. Once done, the spring rolls will look golden and crispy. Drain on a rack and let them cool slightly before enjoying!

Common Questions

Yes. When we have people coming over, I often prepare the filling the day before and keep it covered in the refrigerator.

I roll the spring rolls a few hours before frying and arrange them in a single layer on a tray. Keep them covered in the refrigerator so the wrappers do not dry out.

I would not leave the rolled spring rolls in the fridge for too long because moisture from the filling will eventually soften the pastry.

For parties, I fry them shortly before everyone arrives, then reheat them in a hot oven or air fryer just before serving.

Absolutely. I almost always try to freeze part of the batch—although how many actually reach the freezer depends on how hungry everyone is.

Arrange the uncooked spring rolls in a single layer on a lined tray and freeze them until firm. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container.

They can be kept frozen for up to three months.

I fry them directly from frozen at a slightly lower temperature, around 160°C, and give them a few extra minutes to cook through. Be careful when adding frozen food to hot oil because ice crystals can cause the oil to spit.

I reheat cooked spring rolls in a 200°C oven for 8–10 minutes, or in an air fryer at 190°C for approximately 5–7 minutes.

The wrapper should become hot and crisp again.

I avoid the microwave unless I have completely given up and decided that warm, damp envelopes are acceptable.

Yes. Replace the prawns with another 250–300g of pork mince, or add extra mushrooms, carrot and glass noodles.

I prefer the pork-and-prawn version because the prawns add sweetness and texture, but an all-pork version is still very good.

More importantly, it will still contain considerably more meat than the average takeaway spring roll.

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