Veg Spring Rolls (Deep Fried and Air Fried)

These veg spring rolls will give the ones from your favourite takeaway place a serious run for its money! An OG noodle-filling for an authentic Indo-Chinese flavour, wrapped in an airy, crispy exterior delivers perfect restaurant-style results each time. 

Traditionally, spring rolls are made during the Spring Festival in China. It uses fresh spring vegetables and boiled noodles to make a filling. This filing is then wrapped in a wheat flour pastry sheet before being deep-fried. The result? Golden-fried veggie rolls that are beautifully crispy and incredibly delicious! I have been making this starter for years, and I still fall in love. Every. Single. Time.

Love Indo-Chinese appetizers? Try Babycorn Chilli, Chinese Chilli Chicken, Honey Chilli Potatoes, Salt and Pepper Chicken, Crackling Spinach, Momos, Paneer Chilli and Soya Manchurian

I have experimented with so many different fillings (I even put them in an air-fryer recently, and I don’t think I am ever going back to the fried version), but this is my favourite recipe so far – the one I always come back to. I usually make a large batch and freeze extras. So I always have something for unexpected guests or those 5 pm hunger pangs.

• Super flexible – you can play around with the filling – add chicken, pork or prawns or use any veggies you have on hand
• You can shallow fry, air-fry or even bake these spring rolls for a healthier alternative
• This is a freezer-friendly recipe. These can be wrapped ahead and stored in zip-lock bags to be fried later
• Making this dish non-veg is pretty simple. Simply replace the filling with either my chicken chow mein or shrimp chow mein recipe for quick and simple non-veg spring rolls

What is usually in a spring roll?

Spring rolls are one of the most customisable dishes out there! Traditionally, Chinese spring rolls contain a mixture of various moist vegetables such as mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, etc. along with some ground pork meat. 

Here’s everything you’ll need to make these spring rolls

For the filling – 

• Veggies: I have used beans, carrots, cabbage, red bell peppers and capsicum. Some other things you can add to these  spring rolls are mushrooms, scrambled paneer or tofu, grated broccoli, baby corn, bean sprouts and zucchini. 
• Noodles: I have used boiled hakka noodles for its authentic Indo-Chinese restaurant-style taste. 
• Aromatics: Ginger, garlic, celery and onions. 
• Sauces: Soy sauce, tomato ketchup, red chilli sauce and vinegar. 
• Spices: Salt and powdered pepper for seasoning. 
• Spring onions: Used as garnish for an extra bit of crunch and freshness. 

For wrapping: 

• Spring roll wrappers: I have used ready-to-cook spring rolls wrappers or sheets for this recipe. You can find these online or at the supermarket near you. Even though these are freezer-friendly, it is recommended to use them soon after buying as that’s when they are their freshest, tastiest best. I generally make an entire pack in one go, and freeze extra uncooked spring rolls in the freezer. This way I have fresh, piping hot spring rolls ready when I need them! 
• Corn flour and water: A slurry of cornflour and water acts as a glue to keeps the wrapper in place
• Oil: Any neutral oil like canola, sunflower or peanut for deep frying

How to make Spring Rolls

Here’s a quick step by step showing you how to make spring rolls and wrap them at home

1. Heat oil in a wok and add garlic and ginger once hot. Saute on high flame until fragrant. Add onion, celery and green chillies and saute till the onions are almost translucent. 

2. Add the carron, beans, capsicum and cabbage and saute for 2-3 minutes. 

3. Add cooked noodles, soy sauce, vinegar, red chilli sauce and ketchup and saute lightly. 

4. Stir to ensure the sauce coats all the noodles. Add spring onions and mix to combine. Set aside and allow it to cool.

5. Add 1 teaspoon of corn flour and 2 teaspoons of water to a bowl.

6. Use a spoon to combine and make a thin slurry. Ensure there are no lumps. 

7. Keep spring roll sheets covered with a wet cloth to prevent it from drying. Lay out one spring roll sheet on the counter with one of the edges facing you. Place 1-2 tablespoons of the filling in the middle near the bottom edge. 

8. Roll the sheet tucking in the filling. Fold from the side to ensure the filling does not fall out.

9. Tuck in tightly and brush with corn flour slurry along the edges to seal it in. 

10. Ensure it is tightly sealed and set aside. Repeat this process with the remaining spring roll sheets and filling. You can either fry these immediately or freeze it for later use. 

11. Set a kadai or fryer with enough oil to submerge the rolls and heat it up. Once hot, drop in the prepared spring rolls and fry on medium flame for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Do not crowd the pan, fry only 5-6 pieces at a time and do it in batches. 

12. Once done, remove from the oil using a slotted spoon or a skimmer and transfer to a tissue lined plate. 

Is a spring roll Chinese or Japanese? 

Spring rolls are originally Chinese and are made during the Spring Festival in China. However, Japan also has its own variation of a spring roll called harumaki. Even though, both Chinese and Japanese spring rolls have a similar veggie and noodle mixture wrapped in a thin, crispy layer, the main difference between the two is in how the filling is made. A Chinese spring roll has a dry texture, whereas Harumaki is wet. The filling in a Japanese spring roll is thickened with some potato starch, resulting in a thick, gravy-like texture.

How do you make spring rolls stick together?  

Mixing cornflour and water to create a slurry is an inexpensive yet effective way to stick the edges of the roll. Some recipes prefer an egg wash. While that might be a great option, I find using eggs a bit cumbersome as compared to a cornflour slurry. 

What is the difference between an egg roll and a spring roll

Spring roll and egg roll both have a filling of veggies and/or meat, but that’s where the similarities end. One of the main differences between an egg roll and spring roll is in the texture of their outer layers. A spring roll has a thin and smooth outer layer that is light, crispy and flaky when bit into. While the egg roll has a textured, bubbly exterior that is crunchy and more chewy. Additionally, an egg roll’s dough is made from eggs and flour, whereas there is no egg in a spring roll’s dough. This is the reason behind its light and crispy exterior. 

Richa’s top tips to make the perfect spring rolls:

• Your filling needs to be dry before wrapping it into the spring roll sheets. If it is too wet, there is a higher chance that these might become soggy and break open while frying. 
• Stir fry the filling on high heat to ensure that your veggies still retain their crunch after being cooked. 
• Keep everything prepped and ready before turning on the flame. This recipe moves pretty fast once it’s on the gas, so you most likely won’t have any time to cut or fetch things. 
• Work with individual spring roll sheets and keep the rest covered in a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out. 
• There are two ways to freeze these – 
  • You can half-fry them, allow them to cool down before freezing them in airtight containers or zip-lock bags. 
  • Another way is to wrap all of them and place them on a greased baking tray (make sure they don’t touch or you’ll run the risk of ending up with a lumpy mess) and freeze them for about 2 hours. Remove them from the tray, transfer to an airtight container or zip-lock bag and place it back into the freezer. Simply fry them from frozen.

These crispy, golden-brown spring rolls make for a great party starter, but they also taste just as warm and comforting on a rainy evening with a hot cup of tea. I usually serve mine with my homemade schezwan sauce, but they taste great with sweet chilli sauce or chilli garlic sauce. These run out very fast, so make sure to make extras. Consider yourself warned!  

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