If you like Eggrolls, raise your hand and say...

[Claire]

When a neighbor's Vietnamese mother came to visit, I asked if she would come over for a spring roll lesson. Other neighbors joined us, and her DIL was delighted since her baby daughter is so allergic to shrimp that she gets sick from just being in the kitchen. I would never actually try to duplicate her recipe exactly, but will her methods. Way too many ingredients, most I can't get locally. Her son brought me a package of the correct wrappers (all I can get locally is the thicker, Chinese type). I also like making summer rolls.

And yes, the raw spring rolls can be frozen (assuming your raw meat wasn't frozen to begin with). I don't know how the larger, thicker Chinese egg rolls would freeze raw. I think in the past I got around that by cooking the meat before making the rolls, then freezing. The Vietnamese spring rolls are small and thin-skinned. They go straight from the freezer to the pan of oil. Keep the lid nearby, because they will splatter, which could be a disaster on a gas burner, not to mention little grease burns on hands and arms, and spots on clothing.

 

[CharlieD]

I buy egg roll wraps and make vegetarian egg rolls often. Sundried tomato and avocado is my wife's favorite ones. I like plain cabbage, shredded carrots and bean sprouts.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I think we have to consider there are (at least) two different types of spring rolls, particularly when you bring Vietnamese cooking into the discussion. I'm not sure what the proper Western terms are, or if there are even any that fully translate. I'll make some comments although I want to make it clear that I'm no authority, other than cooking what I like and not calling what I cook traditional or authentic.

Egg rolls: Similar to wonton skins, you fill them up with a stuffing and deep fry them.

Vietnamese rice paper rolls: You still make a stuffing, often using cooked transparent noodles, fresh carrot, cucumber, basil, cilantro, cooked full shrimps, perhaps some lettuce. These rolls use a rice paper that you soften in warm water for about 30-90 seconds, then roll the stuffing inside, and then you serve them right away, with Nuoc Cham dipping sauce. You don't fry these spring rolls at all. You can recognize them because of the fresh rice paper which is transparent so you can see right through. These are served at room temperature. I expect most forum members will have problems finding these rice paper "skins" unless you buy online.

I'm very frustrated since presently I have little or no cooking facilities and I can't or won't post recipes unless I've personally cooked and verified them. Anything I posted above should be considered partial and incomplete. I have hot linked Google searches above so you can follow my exploration and make your own conclusions.

I really like these Vietnamese rice paper rolls because they are so fresh tasting and have such healthful ingredients. The sauce is very important too. And they are nothing like the fried egg rolls that most of us think of from Chinese cooking.

I hope to post some recipes for these some day, some day when I have reasonable cooking facilities and when I can test, experiment, measure and document my recipes before posting. Until then I have only suggestions and ideas.

 

[Skittle68]

I think we have to consider there are (at least) two different types of spring rolls, particularly when you bring Vietnamese cooking into the discussion. I'm not sure what the proper Western terms are, or if there are even any that fully translate. I'll make some comments although I want to make it clear that I'm no authority, other than cooking what I like and not calling what I cook traditional or authentic.

Egg rolls: Similar to wonton skins, you fill them up with a stuffing and deep fry them.

Vietnamese rice paper rolls: You still make a stuffing, often using cooked transparent noodles, fresh carrot, cucumber, basil, cilantro, cooked full shrimps, perhaps some lettuce. These rolls use a rice paper that you soften in warm water for about 30-90 seconds, then roll the stuffing inside, and then you serve them right away, with Nuoc Cham dipping sauce. You don't fry these spring rolls at all. You can recognize them because of the fresh rice paper which is transparent so you can see right through. These are served at room temperature. I expect most forum members will have problems finding these rice paper "skins" unless you buy online.

I'm very frustrated since presently I have little or no cooking facilities and I can't or won't post recipes unless I've personally cooked and verified them. Anything I posted above should be considered partial and incomplete. I have hot linked Google searches above so you can follow my exploration and make your own conclusions.

I really like these Vietnamese rice paper rolls because they are so fresh tasting and have such healthful ingredients. The sauce is very important too. And they are nothing like the fried egg rolls that most of us think of from Chinese cooking.

I hope to post some recipes for these some day, some day when I have reasonable cooking facilities and when I can test, experiment, measure and document my recipes before posting. Until then I have only suggestions and ideas.

I have had the vietnamese rice paper rolls, and they were referred to as "fresh spring rolls"

 

[Addie]

Fortunately, we have a Chinatown that serves all Oriental nationalities. There are a couple of supermarkets that the majority of their items are in the written script of the country it is from. So you have to ask for what you want. And there are also some Mom and Pop stores run by different nationalities. Some are Chinese, some Vietnese, some Thai, some Japanese, etc. You can pretty much find anything you are looking for. It helps though if you have a friend that is Oriental and lives there.

 

[CWS4322]

Okay--the baked egg rolls are not my thing. The filling was good, but I prefer deep-fried egg rolls.

 

[joesfolk]

I have never learned how to make a small batch of stir fry so I always have leftovers. I use the leftovers to make eggrolls to put in the freezer for the next time I want to make a whole Chinese type meal (I would not presume to say the meals were actually anything like real Chinese.) I do add to the stir fry ingredients a bit just to change the flavor from the stir fry. It all works out very nicely for us.

 

[CharlieD]

... It helps though if you have a friend that is Oriental and lives there.

Rugs are Oriental ....