Vietnamese spring rolls

[joesfolk]

We used to have wonderful Vietnamese neighbors who used to bring us fresh spring rolls occaisionally. When they moved away they gave me a list of ingredients but no actual instructions on how to prepare them. I figured it couldn"t be any harder than egg rolls. Wrong! I got them to taste right but can't get them to look right. They should look smooth and golden brown like they were wrapped in yellow paper. Instead they look all bubbly and unevenly brown. Not at all appetizing. Does anyone have an idea what I am doing wrong? I know I am using the right wrappers. I suspect my problem may lie in the type of oil or the temp of the oil. I just know that mine do not look like they should. They don't look like the ones that were made for us and they don't look like the ones on the wrapper package. Please help.

 

[mollyanne]

Most recipes I've seen use vegetable oil or canola oil and the temp is between medium to high. If it's too high they will brown faster than there is time to cook the inside mixture. Drop them in one at a time slowly so that they don't stick together. Then remove them when they're just a golden hue.

The pork you use (or other meat) should be room temp when you fill the Spring Roll Pastry. That way it should cook enough by the time you remove it from the oil.

 

[CraigC]

I think you really have to dry them well. Maybe several hours in the fridge. I know the softening process for the rice paper really gets it wet. The last batch we deep fried didn't come out smooth either and I'm sure it was due to excess moisture.

 

[Claire]

I got lessons from a Vietnamese friend. I think her trick was that she cut the wrappers into a sort of cross shape rather than trying to burrito roll them. She cut the end off the square and laid it across the larger part, then folded it in for the ends, then rolled the wider part. I was using the wrong wrappers as well, trying for rice paper (which is for summer rolls, not fried), or the ones I can buy at my grocery store (Chinese-style, too heavy). The oil used didn't make much difference. The day she made them at my house I'd thought I had peanut oil on hand and wound up combining vegetable, canola and some other kind of oil another neighbor brought over so we'd have enough. They weren't deep fried, but were cooked in a generous amount (NOT sauteed), a good half-inch so that about half the roll is in the oil. When I did them on my own I used peanut oil and there was no discernible difference. I can't get the right wrappers around here, woe is me.

 

[Cerise]

Maybe they used Lumpia Wrappers

What Are Lumpia Wrappers? | eHow.com

Lumpia | Lumpia Recipe | Easy Asian Recipes at RasaMalaysia.com

Lumpia Recipe

 

[Claire]

I used to buy lumpia wrappers often when I lived in Hawaii, and think they'd be closer, although larger. But it's been a long time!

 

[BoracayB]

lumpia wrappers are also used to wrap bananas to fry.

 

[joesfolk]

Okay, I have tried every suggestion that I have gotten except one. Things have gotten marginally better but no where near satisfactory. I am now letting the rolls dry out in the fridge and will try to fry them tomorrow. Maybe that will do the trick. On the up side, I have gotten pretty good at getting them the right size and finally got them to be tight and not kind of sloppy. Hopefully I will soon be able to report that I have made beautiful crispy golden brown fried spring rolls. If that doesn't work I am giving up. Oh I didn't try the lumpia wrappers because I know that I am using the correct wrappers as my neighbor indicated when she gave me the "recipe".

 

[summer22]

What actually ended up working?

I am having the same problem!