Spring rolls aren’t just a tasty appetizer served at your favorite Chinese restaurant because they’re also eaten for good luck during Lunar New Year (January 29). The combination of meat or seafood and vegetables wrapped in a spring roll wrapper and fried to crispy perfection is what makes them irresistible. Plus, they’re simple to whip up at home and dip into your favorite sauce. Need inspiration for the best homemade spring rolls? Here’s how to make shrimp spring rolls, which are full of delicious flavor and textures.
What are shrimp spring rolls?
While it’s common to see ground pork used in spring rolls (“Chun Juan” in Chinese), using shrimp adds a sweeter flavor. The seafood is combined with vegetables, such as shredded carrots, cabbage and mushrooms, and seasonings before it’s placed inside of spring roll wrappers. Once rolled, the spring rolls are typically fried until the exterior is brown and crispy. Served plain or with dipping sauce, spring rolls are the ultimate treat–especially for Lunar New Year as they symbolize wealth and prosperity.
Easy trick to ensure homemade spring rolls stay sealed
One of the keys to making your own spring rolls is keeping the filling inside of the wrapper. This prevents the spring rolls from unraveling and creating a mess during the frying process. Many recipes use a flour-water mixture as the “glue” to seal the filling inside of the wrapper. All it takes is brushing this mixture onto the corner of the wrapper before you finish rolling it to produce neatly wrapped spring rolls.
A tasty and crunchy shrimp spring rolls recipe
For mouthwatering shrimp spring rolls, check out this recipe from the Khin’s Kitchen food blog. While the recipe includes directions for deep-frying the rolls, you can bake or air fry them for a less greasy result. Also, watch the video carefully as the two-minute mark demonstrates how to roll the spring rolls without hassle.
Crispy Shrimp Spring Rolls
Ingredients:
- 5.3 oz. shrimp, peeled, deveined and roughly chopped
- 15 spring roll wrappers
- 2 to 3 shredded Chinese or sweetheart cabbage
- 3 to 4 dried shiitake mushroom
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 Tbs. finely chopped garlic
- 3 to 4 spring onions, thin slices
- 2 Tbs. vegetable oil or any neutral-flavored oil + more for deep-frying
- 1 Tbs. flour + 2 Tbs. water flour glue to seal the wrappers
Seasonings:
- 1 Tbs. soy sauce (regular or light)
- 1 Tbs. oyster sauce
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- ¼ tsp. black pepper or white pepper
Directions:
Prepare filling
- Roughly chop prawns and thinly shred carrot and cabbage. Pre-soak dry shiitake mushroom in warm water 15 minutes. Then, gently squeeze water out and cut into small pieces.
- Heat large wok or pan over medium high heat, drizzle 2 Tbs. vegetable oil, add chopped garlic and stir a few seconds.
- Add prawns and stir few seconds, then follow with the mushroom and shredded carrots. Stir-fry few seconds and add shredded cabbage then follow with spring onions. Cook over medium-high heat.
- Season with soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and black pepper. Continue stir fry for another 2 to 3 minutes until the vegetables are wilted and tender.
- Transfer to large tray or plate and let it completely cool down.
- Note: If there is any liquid from vegetables left in the fillings, place the fillings over the strainer and drain all the liquid out.
Wrapping spring rolls
- To wrap spring rolls, scoop 2 to 3 Tbs. of fillings on one side of wrapper. Fold away from your side like an envelope. Seal with flour and water mixture glue. Repeat the process to all rolls until the fillings runs out.
To deep-fry the rolls
- Heat 1 to 2 inches of vegetable oil or neutral oil over high heat until it reaches about 340°F to 350°F. Deep-fry spring rolls 5 to 6 minutes, or until crispy golden brown. (Note: Avoid overcrowding the oil and keep the temperature into high-heat to prevent the spring rolls from greasy and soggy.)
- Remove from oil and transfer to cooling rack. Simply serve with your favorite dipping sauce, hot chili sauce or sweet chili sauce.
To bake the rolls
- Place spring rolls on wire rack over baking tray. Brush or spray generous amount of vegetable oil on both sides.
- Preheat oven or air fryer about 400°F, bake until crispy golden about 18 to 20 minutes. Turn sides halfway through. Serve with dipping sauce.
