Fresh Crispy Spring Rolls
This spring rolls recipe is made with fried shrimp, vegetables, crispy wonton strips and paired with a dipping sauce that's sweet and tangy!
Ingredients
- 12-18 peeled and deveined shrimp (fresh or defrosted)
- 6 large rice paper wrappers
- 6 eggroll wrappers
- 2 cups cooked rice noodles
- 1-2 heads lettuce
- 1 large cucumber (or 2-3 Persian cucumbers)
- herbs of choice such as cilantro, parsley, Thai basil, and mint
- salt and white pepper
- unsalted butter
Dipping Sauce
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2-3 medium limes
- 5 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp chili garlic sauce or sambal oelek
- optional: Thai chilis
Instructions
Prepare dipping sauce
- Mince 3 cloves of garlic and put into a small bowl.
- Add in 1/4 cup fish sauce, juice of 2-3 medium limes (depending on taste preference), 5 tablespoons of white sugar, 1 teaspoon of chili garlic sauce or sambal oelek, and 1 cup of warm water. Mix everything together until sugar has melted.
- If you like a spicier dipping sauce, you can add in a couple of chopped Thai chilis. You can store dipping sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Stir well before serving.
Prepare and cook spring roll fillings
- Wash, prep, and dry vegetables and herbs. Cucumbers should be cut into ~3-4 inch long thin pieces. Lettuce leaves should be separated and large pieces can be cut in halves to match the length of the cucumbers. Set vegetables and herbs aside.
- Cook rice noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Cut wonton wrappers into long, 1 inch wide strips. Heat up a frying pan with oil and fry wonton strips until they are crispy and golden. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
- Clean, peel, and devein shrimp. Pat dry with a paper towel. Season with a light sprinkle of salt and white pepper. Mix everything together. In a large frying pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter using medium to high heat. Add in shrimp and fry for 2 minutes each side. Remove from pan and set aside.
Wrap fresh spring rolls
- Separate dry rice wrappers from packaging and remove 8 wrappers. In a large baking dish or plate with raised edges, fill warm water about half way up baking dish. Choose a baking dish or plate that is large enough to fit the wrappers.
- Take one rice wrapper at a time and dip both sides of dry wrapper into warm water. Do not over wet the wrappers. Put wrappers flat on a cutting board or large plate.Place lettuce leaf closer to the bottom of the wrapper with about 2 fingers space of leftover wrapper at the bottom. Place some rice noodles on top of lettuce, a cucumber on top of the rice noodles, some fresh herbs on top of the cucumbers, and top with fried wonton strips.
- Take end closest to you and roll one time in tightly away. Place 2-3 shrimp on wrapper and make another roll. Fold in both ends and continue to roll until the end of the rice paper is sealed. Set aside and repeat steps until you have made all your spring rolls.
- Serve fresh with dipping sauce. Note: do not serve on top of paper towels or paper plate. Rice paper will stick to paper. Also try to separate the spring rolls from each other to prevent sticking.