Rice Noodle Spring Rolls

Rice Noodle Spring Rolls

So what’s the difference between an Egg Roll and a Spring Roll and why do people confuse Summer Rolls with Spring Rolls?  Well, I think the main thing to look at is that they are all rolled in a wrapper with vegetables and they are all fried.  Except for the Summer Roll, which is a Korean Roll many confuse for the Spring Roll but Spring Rolls are fried!  The easiest way to remember is this: Egg Rolls are bigger, Spring Rolls are small and Summer Rolls are soft and see through.  The best part is, you can put anything you want in any of them.  Sure there’s a few traditions but you literally could go breakfast burrito in any one of these rolls if you really wanted to.

Rice Noodle Spring Roll Ingredients:Kikkoman-Tempura-Dipping-Sauce1

1 qt boiling water
2 Rice noodles
1 Nori Sheet
Cilantro, freshly chopped
1 Garlic Clove, chopped
2 tbsp Cooking Oil
8 oz Ground Pork, cooked
Salt and Pepper too taste
2 tbsp Tempura Dipping Sauce (1 part ea. Soy, Sugar, Water, White Vinegar)
1 pkg Spring Roll Wrappers
1/4 cup Water for wetting Wrappers
Oil for Frying

Boil water and Poor over Rice Noodle in a separate bowl.  Let it sit for 5 minutes then strain and add 1 tbsp cooking oil to prevent sticking.  Cut Nori into fours then stack and cut with scissors into shoe string slices.  Chop Cilantro and Garlic.  Cook pork with 1 tbsp of cooking oil and add garlic half way through cooking and salt and pepper to taste.  Combine the Rice Noodle with cut Nori, Cilantro, Pork and Tempura Dipping Sauce and mix thoroughly.  Add 2 to 3 tbsp of the mixed Rice Noodle Ingredients to the center of 1 Spring Roll Wrapper.  Starting with the back corner, fold over the top and tuck the ingredients back so they are snug.  Fold the left and right sides in at 90 degree angles and roll forward half way.  Wet the last corner with a finger dab of water in an envelope fashion, then complete the rolling and apply light pressure in the center of the roll to ensure it won’t come apart in the fryer.  Fry at 350 degrees for approximately 3 minutes.  Let them cool on Paper towels before serving with Sweet and Sour or Orange Chili Sauce.

Veggie Egg Rolls

Egg RollsHomemade Egg Rolls

If Egg Rolls are on the menu, you can be sure that I’m going to get them.  I’ll even buy them at Jack in the Box or 7 eleven, because I like them that much.  And, if you want to take it step further, dip the Egg Rolls in a Chinese Frying batter, just like the batter that’s on Sweet and sour Pork or Chicken, and then fry it.  Mm-mm; that’s good sheet!  But for this recipe, let’s just focus on the basics, and keep it simple.

Vegetable Egg Rolls consist mostly of one simple ingredient.  Any guess’s?  That’s right, vegetables!  Which means you can put practically any vegetable you want inside these, and as long as you follow a few basic rules, they’re going to turn out great!  First, you have to season your veggies with a light saute.  I say light because you don’t want to over cook your ingredients before you fry them, thus cooking them a second time and creating a soggy flavorless mess.  That being said, 1 minute of pan time is all you need to lightly salt and pepper, maybe a pinch of sugar for sweetener and your favorite sauce.  In this case I use Tempura Dipping sauce, and I talk about it HERE!  As for the rest of my recipe, I just use a coleslaw premix I bought in the produce with the addition of Bean Sprouts.  Egg Roll Wrappers can usually be found there too.

Egg Roll Ingredients:

For 8 Egg Rolls I use
Egg Roll Wrappers
1/2 bag of Coleslaw Premix (about 8oz)
1/2 cup Bean Sprouts
2 tbsp Tempura Dipping Sauce (Teriyaki is a half decent substitute)
1 tsp Sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste