Crispy Vegetable Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Shatter-crisp fried spring rolls built the way restaurant kitchens do it: a dry, fully pre-cooked cabbage-carrot-mushroom filling wrapped in paper-thin wheat wrappers, fried in small batches and drained standing upright so steam escapes instead of softening the shell. A quick 10-minute sweet chili sauce comes together while the filling cools.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp cold water

• 1 oz dried mung bean glass noodles (cellophane noodles)
• 2 tbsp neutral oil, such as canola
• 4 oz shiitake or cremini mushrooms, stemmed and finely diced
• 3 cups green cabbage, cored and very thinly shredded (about 8 oz)
• 1 cup carrot, coarsely grated (about 1 large)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper

• 12 thin 8-inch spring roll wrappers (frozen wheat-flour type), thawed
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp water
• 6 cups neutral oil for frying, such as canola or peanut

Instructions

1. Make the sauce: combine 1/2 cup water, the sugar, rice vinegar, grated garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 tsp salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook 3 minutes, stirring, until the sugar fully dissolves. Whisk the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water, pour it in, and simmer 1 minute more until lightly syrupy. Pour into a bowl and cool to room temperature; it will thicken further as it sits.
2. Soak the glass noodles in hot tap water for 10 minutes until pliable, then drain well, blot dry, and snip into 1-inch pieces with scissors. Set aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch skillet or wok over medium-high until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and cook undisturbed 2 minutes, then stir and cook 2 to 3 minutes more until they stop releasing liquid and start to brown.
4. Add the cabbage, carrot, garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry 4 to 5 minutes, keeping the heat high enough that the pan stays dry-looking, until the cabbage is wilted and no puddle of liquid remains in the pan. This dryness is what keeps the rolls crisp — if you see liquid, keep cooking.
5. Stir in the noodles, scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, and white pepper. Cook 1 minute more, then spread the filling on a rimmed baking sheet in a thin layer and cool completely, about 20 minutes. Blot any damp spots with a paper towel. You should have about 3 cups of dry, loose filling.
6. Whisk the flour and 2 tablespoons water into a smooth paste for sealing. Peel off one wrapper (keep the rest under a damp towel) and set it on the counter as a diamond, point toward you. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of filling in a 4-inch log across the lower third.
7. Fold the bottom point up over the filling and roll once tightly to compress it. Fold in the left and right points snugly, then continue rolling into a tight cigar. Brush the final point with flour paste and press to seal. Repeat with the remaining wrappers, setting finished rolls seam down on a tray without touching.
8. Pour 6 cups oil into a heavy 4-quart pot (no more than halfway up the sides) and heat to 350°F on a deep-fry or instant-read thermometer. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet, and stand a second rack or a wide colander nearby for draining rolls upright.
9. Fry only 3 to 4 rolls at a time, turning them with tongs after 1 minute so they color evenly. Fry 3 to 4 minutes total, until deep golden and blistered. Keep the oil between 340°F and 355°F, letting it recover for a minute between batches.
10. Lift each roll out and stand it upright against the wire rack or in the colander so oil and steam drain out the ends — never lay them flat on paper towels. Rest 2 minutes, then repeat with the remaining batches.
11. Cut the rolls in half on a sharp diagonal and serve immediately with the sweet chili sauce for dipping.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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