Use this homemade spring roll recipe to make the Cantonese version of spring rolls that you know and love from dim sum restaurants!
Note: This recipe was originally published in September 2015, updated as of June 2019!
2 Chinese Spring Roll Recipes?
When I was growing up, Chinatown was the only place you went for authentic Chinese food, but it was almost exclusively Cantonese restaurants. Nowadays, Chinese food in the US has come a long way, thanks to an influx of immigrants from all over China.
So it’s no surprise that two distinct types of Chinese spring rolls would eventually arrive on the scene—this Cantonese version and the Shanghainese version.
Judy posted a Shanghai-style spring roll on the blog already. While I enjoy both versions, I wanted to set the record straight on why we are posting two spring roll recipes. Her version is what her Shanghainese family makes, while my version is my Cantonese family’s spring roll recipe.
Dipping Sauces for Spring Rolls
Preferred dipping sauces are different for the Shanghai and Cantonese clans as well. Shanghai spring rolls are always served with vinegar, but dim sum places serve theirs with whatever condiment you want. Some like it with plum sauce, hot oil, chili garlic sauce, vinegar, or just plain soy sauce.
I think this spring roll recipe tastes good without any condiments, but I also like an old classic: a Worcestershire-based dipping sauce I used to have in New York’s Chinatown, where I had my first taste of dim sum spring rolls. It’s a little tangy and goes nicely with the fried spring rolls.
Chinatown Dim Sum Memories
I vividly remember sitting in a crowded dim sum house as a kid, watching the carts passing by, when those plates loaded with crispy spring rolls immediately caught my eye.
I tugged at my mother’s arm, gesturing to her to stop the lady with the cartful of goodies. My mom flagged her down, and she stopped at the table so we could marvel at her collection of dim sum dishes.
She was a middle-aged woman who gave us a quick run-down of the dishes on her cart, but she knew what I wanted. She picked up the small dish of spring rolls, and used her kitchen scissors to cut each roll in half. She then picked up a plastic bottle filled with a dark sauce, topping the rolls with generous zigzags of sauce as my mother nodded in approval.
All was good as I dug into the crunchy spring roll, tasting the delightful mushroomy filling and slightly crunchy bamboo shoots. It was just one of many food-related childhood memories, and as my family and all you readers know, I have plenty of them. On to the recipe!
Spring Roll Recipe Instructions
(Scroll down for full ingredients in the recipe card below.)
Mix the pork with the marinade ingredients and set aside for about 30 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Cut all of the vegetables to approximately the same size. You want everything the same size so each ingredient blends together.
Brown the pork over high heat in 2 tablespoons of oil, and add the garlic, mushrooms and carrots. Stir fry for 30 seconds, and add the bamboo shoots, napa cabbage, and Shaoxing wine.
Continue stir-frying for a minute. Adjust the heat to simmer the mixture, as the napa cabbage will release a lot of moisture.
Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and sugar. At this time, you have the option of adding 1/4 cup of the decanted water from soaking the dried mushrooms. It strengthens the mushroom flavor, so this is purely according to your personal preference. You may also have to simmer the filling longer to reduce the additional liquid.
Continue simmering the filling for another 3 minutes, until the napa cabbage is completely wilted. Stir in the cornstarch slurry to thicken. How much slurry you add depends upon the wetness of the filling (this varies if your cabbage had more moisture or if you did add the optional mushroom water), but there should be no standing liquid at all.
Transfer the filling to a large shallow bowl, and let cool. Place into the refrigerator to cool further—at least one hour. It’s best to start with a cold filling for easier wrapping.
How to Fold a Spring Roll
The key to wrapping spring rolls is making sure that they’re tight, yet not overstuffed. It’s best to use fresh spring roll wrappers if you can, as freezing the wrappers can result in the spring roll skin being a bit too damp.
1. Place the spring roll wrapper on a flat surface so that a corner is facing toward you. Use about two spoonfuls of the mixture per spring roll, and spoon it about 2 inches from the corner that is closest to you.
2. Roll it over once, and, like you’re making a burrito, fold over both sides.
3. Continue rolling it into a cigar shape. With your fingers, brush a bit of the cornstarch water onto the corner of the wrapper that is farthest from you to seal it.
In case you’re wondering, we did try egg wash instead of the cornstarch mixture to seal the spring roll but the egg wash “stains” the spring roll, so it’s best to use the cornstarch mixture.
Place each spring roll on a tray. This spring roll recipe makes about 18-20 total.
For more details on how to wrap different types of spring rolls, check out our How to Wrap Spring Rolls post!
Can You Prepare Spring Rolls Ahead of Time?
Yes, you can freeze these homemade spring rolls on the tray overnight after they’ve been assembled and transfer them to a zip-lock bag when they are completely frozen for future use.
We usually fry some fresh and freeze the rest, unless we are hosting a party, in which case, these go like hot cakes!
To fry them once they’ve been frozen, just drop the frozen spring rolls directly in hot oil. Do not thaw them!
How to Fry Spring Rolls
To fry the spring rolls, fill a small pot (which requires less oil) with oil until it’s 2 to 3 inches deep. Heat the oil slowly over medium heat until it reaches 325 degrees.
Gently add the spring rolls one at a time, frying in small batches. Carefully roll them in the oil so they cook evenly until golden brown and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels.
Prepare the dipping sauce by adding all ingredients to a small sauce pan. Mix and heat until just simmering and pour into a small bowl.
Serve your homemade spring rolls hot with the dipping sauce!
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Recipe
Chinese Spring Rolls
Ingredients
For the pork and marinade:
- 8 ounces finely shredded pork loin (225g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
To assemble the filling:
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 10 dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked until softened and thinly sliced)
- 2 medium carrots (julienned, about 1 cup)
- 1 cup bamboo shoots (julienned; fresh is preferred, but canned is fine too)
- 1 small napa cabbage (julienned, about 6 cups)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- white pepper (to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water)
For wrapping:
- 1 package spring roll wrappers (8" squares; this recipe makes about 20 spring rolls)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water for sealing the spring rolls)
- Canola oil (or peanut or vegetable oil, for frying)
For the dipping sauce:
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons hot water
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Instructions
- Mix the pork with the marinade ingredients and set aside for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Cut all of the vegetables to approximately the same size. You want everything the same size so each ingredient blends together.
- Brown the pork over high heat in 2 tablespoons of oil, and add the garlic, mushrooms and carrots. Stir fry for 30 seconds, and add the bamboo shoots, napa cabbage, and Shaoxing wine. Continue stir-frying for a minute. Adjust the heat to simmer the mixture, as the napa cabbage will release a lot of moisture.
- Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and sugar. At this time, you have the option of adding 1/4 cup of the decanted water from soaking the dried mushrooms. It strengthens the mushroom flavor, so this is purely according to your personal preference. You may also have to simmer the filling longer to reduce the additional liquid.
- Continue simmering the filling for another 3 minutes–until the napa cabbage is completely wilted–and stir in the corn starch slurry to thicken. How much slurry you add depends upon the wetness of the filling (this varies if your cabbage had more moisture or if you did add the optional mushroom water), but there should be no standing liquid at all.
- Transfer the filling to a large shallow bowl, and let cool. Place into the refrigerator to cool further—at least one hour. It’s best to start with a cold filling for easier wrapping. The key to wrapping spring rolls is making sure that they’re tight, yet not overstuffed. It’s best to use fresh spring roll wrappers if you can, as freezing the wrappers can result in the spring roll skin being a bit too damp.
- Place the wrapper on a flat surface so that a corner is facing toward you. Use about two spoonfuls of the mixture per spring roll, and spoon it about 2 inches from the corner that is closest to you. Roll it over once, and, like you’re making a burrito, fold over both sides. Continue rolling it into a cigar shape. With your fingers, brush a bit of the cornstarch water onto the corner of the wrapper that is farthest from you to seal it.
- In case you’re wondering, we did try egg wash instead of the cornstarch mixture to seal the spring roll but the egg wash “stains” the spring roll, so it’s best to use the cornstarch mixture.
- Place each roll on a tray. This recipe makes about 18-20 spring rolls. You can also freeze these spring rolls on the tray overnight, and transfer them to a zip-lock bag when they are completely frozen for future use. We usually fry some fresh and freeze the rest, unless we are hosting a party, in which case, these go like hot cakes!
- To fry the spring rolls, fill a small pot (which requires less oil) with oil until it’s 2 to 3 inches deep. Heat the oil slowly over medium heat until it reaches 325 degrees. Gently add the spring rolls one at a time, frying in small batches. Carefully roll them in the oil so they cook evenly until golden brown and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Prepare the dipping sauce by adding all ingredients to a small sauce pan. Mix and heat until just simmering and pour into a small bowl. Serve the spring rolls hot with the dipping sauce!
