Spring rolls wrappers + _______________ = awesome

May 5, 2009 8:12 AM

I have spring roll wrappers!

and I would like to know what awesome fillings you use with yours? I know the standard carrots/rice noodles/shrimp, but I'm looking for more good ideas. Also, dipping sauces?

posted by melissam to Food & Drink (18 answers total)

Samosas.
posted by fire&wings at 8:15 AM on May 5, 2009

I used broccoli, little shrimps and cooked couscous once and thought that was pretty fun. The couscous in particular is an odd, but nice texture with the spring roll wrapper.
posted by mjcon at 8:20 AM on May 5, 2009

small piece of jalapeno pepper and shredded cheese turned into a little pillow. then deep or pan fried. serve with salsa. yum!
posted by bottlebrushtree at 8:21 AM on May 5, 2009

Just saw a recipe on 101 Cookboks the other day that fits the bill perfectly: Monica Bhide's Chile Pea Puffs (warning: Heidi's photos will make you really hungry). There are a couple of dipping sauces mentioned in the post that sound great, too, like the kumquat-mango or tamarind-date chutneys.
posted by bcwinters at 8:44 AM on May 5, 2009

If they are the "lumpia" kind (usually sold frozen, they are slightly spongey and soft once thawed), i like stuffing them with curried mashed potatoes mixed with cubed/sauteed tempeh, baking them then and serving them with a tamarind sauce. 1/2 banana + small amount of brown sugar + pinch cinnamon rolled in one then fried/baked is extraordinarily good, too.
For the rice paper kind (must be soaked/not usually cooked before serving), i usually stuff them with whatever I have on hand--avocado, tofu, noodles. I find that a nice miso dressing is a wonderful departure from the standard peanut sauce.
They are also extremely excellent used as a replacement for nori when making sushi. Just soak the wrapper, put it on the rolling mat, add rice/fillings, roll and slice like regular sushi.
posted by hecho de la basura at 8:56 AM on May 5, 2009

do you have the thicker egg/wheat skins (opaque, usually deep-fried to golden brown) or the thinner, translucent rice paper wrappers used for vietnamese goi cuon?

If it's the latter, I think keeping it mostly vegetables is always a good idea; they're so delicate that denser or wetter fillings tend to tear or disintegrate them. So, basically, any lettuce or greens-heavy salad, with dressing used as a dipping sauce - arugula+proscuitto+shaved parm dipped in lemon juice and olive oil; grilled chicken+lettuce+grape tomatoes; shredded lettuce+black bean salsa+grilled or roasted pork, dipped in a simple lime-based vinaigrette; etc. etc. Yum!
posted by peachfuzz at 8:58 AM on May 5, 2009

Thin beef strips, shredded lettuce, shredded carrots, and bean sprouts wrapped up and dipped in nuoc mam pha will make you throw rocks at your grandma.
posted by Pollomacho at 9:17 AM on May 5, 2009 [1 favorite]

Oh, should add that my Vietnamese roomate would make his nuoc mam pha by putting rice vinegar, lemon juice, fish sauce, hot pepper, sugar and a large amount of garlic (no water as suggested in the wiki) in a sealed mason jar which he would put under the sink in the kitchen for a month and would not let us touch for a full month. Then on the final day he'd take off from work early to sautee the beef and julienne the carrots and lettuce and we'd feast on this and San Miguel beer. Invariably this was done because he wanted to impress some girl that he had strategically picked out the month before.

Like Billy-D's Colt 45, it worked every time.
posted by Pollomacho at 9:23 AM on May 5, 2009 [2 favorites]

I won a cooking contest using this recipe for Mango Shrimp Summer Rolls. GOOD!
posted by jrichards at 9:28 AM on May 5, 2009

for the lumpia kind, anything you'd put in a crepe.

• sauteed chard and chevre
• nutella pouches (cut them in pieces before filling in order to make them small). don't overfill. sautee them in butter
• shredded papaya, cabbage, shredded chicken

Serve the rice paper version at the table. Moisten them and wrap your food as you go. I think peachfuzz has the core of improvising with them on the money.
posted by nita at 9:35 AM on May 5, 2009

I've used fruit to make mini fruit turnovers.
posted by ShooBoo at 9:35 AM on May 5, 2009

The Vietnamese style rolls are always better with mint+cilantro.

The sauces can vary. I find the peanut sauces a little overwhelming if the ingredients are delicate. Crab louie dressing makes for a nice dipping sauce, especially with seafood ingredients.
posted by small_ruminant at 10:10 AM on May 5, 2009

I fill mine with secrets.

Seriously, shredded pork, carrots, fish sauce and you have a party in your mouth.
posted by arcticseal at 10:22 AM on May 5, 2009

My standard is:
- fresh basil + mint
- rice noodles (soaked in hot, salted water for ~20-30 minutes)
- store-bought fried or baked tofu, cut into strips
- marinated cucumber (halve cukes; cut into strips; marinate in rice wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, grated ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and sugar)
- shredded carrot and cabbage
- bean sprouts

Dip in peanut sauce.

This is our go-to meal on hot summer days. The marinated cucumber is key.

If you wrap each individually in plastic wrap, they'll keep for several days in the fridge.
posted by mudpuppie at 10:53 AM on May 5, 2009 [3 favorites]

These are my favorite non-traditional spring rolls. The ginger vinaigrette is key.
posted by rossination at 10:58 AM on May 5, 2009

Fill w/Nutella, shape into little triangles, deep fry, sprinkle w/powdered sugar?
posted by A Terrible Llama at 11:33 AM on May 5, 2009 [1 favorite]

My mom's spring roll recipe, but veganised: Spring Rolls

Definitely my most favorite thing to make with spring roll wrappers and anyone I've made them for begs me to make more.
posted by mincus at 12:55 PM on May 5, 2009

Cheesesteak Spring Rolls have become a trendy appetizer in the Philadelphia area.
posted by dreaming in stereo at 5:47 PM on May 5, 2009