If you’re looking for appetiser or party food ideas, my take on the Vietnamese classic is a total people-pleaser! Add a killer dipping sauce and you’re ready to roll.
Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls
20 x 22cm diameter dried rice paper wrappers
1 tbsp sugar
vegetable oil for deep frying
lettuce leaves to serve
mint leaves to serve
Pork & prawn filling:
80g (2.8 oz) dried glass noodles
200g (7 oz) peeled, deveined and finely chopped prawns
250g (9 oz) pork mince
3 Asian shallots, finely chopped
1 egg
1½ tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp sea salt
Nuoc cham dipping sauce:
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp white vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp lime juice
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- For the nuoc cham, whisk together the ingredients and set aside until ready to serve.
- To make the filling, soak the glass noodles in hot water for about 2 minutes or until just softened. Drain well and rinse in cold water to stop the noodles from cooking further. Drain well and place onto a clean tea towel. Twist the tea towel around the noodles to extract as much water as possible. Place the noodles in a large bowl. Use scissors to cut the noodles into short lengths.
- To the noodles, add the prawns, pork mince, shallots, egg, fish sauce, sugar, pepper and salt. Mix until well combined.
- Place a clean tea towel on your benchtop.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 4 cups of warm water with 1 tablespoon of sugar.
- Dip a rice paper wrapper into the sugar water and submerge it for only a couple of seconds before putting it onto the tea towel. Place 2 heaped tablespoons of the filling onto the bottom half of the wrapper. Shape the filling into a cylinder shape. Fold the bottom of the wrapper over the filling and squeeze to expel any air. Fold in the sides and then roll up into a cylinder shape. Place on a tray lined with paper towel. Repeat until all the filling is used.
- Place the tray of spring rolls into the fridge uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Fill a saucepan or wok to about 1/3 capacity with the vegetable oil. Heat over high heat. Once the oil is hot (325°F or 165°C or when a wooden spoon dipped into the oil forms small little bubbles) cook spring rolls until golden and blistered. Drain on kitchen paper.
- Serve with the nuoc cham dipping sauce and use the lettuce leaves to wrap up the spring rolls along with a few mint leaves.
