Spring rolls with rice paper

Spring rolls with rice paper. Versione italiana. Spring rolls are a typical appetizer of Chinese cuisine, widespread in many Asian countries with versions that are also very different from each other, some salty and some sweet. Today I propose the savory version, filled only with vegetables. We will cook the filling and to wrap them we will use rice paper sheets. You can find them in the ethnic departments of many supermarkets or in oriental cuisine shops.

To wrap the spring rolls it is also possible to use phyllo dough, but I prefer the version with rice paper, although some additional precautions are necessary to obtain an excellent result. The rice paper sheets must in fact be softened in water before they can be used. In addition, the rolls will be well sealed to prevent oil from entering and bubbles from forming. They will also need to be cooked in a spacious pan with a lot of oil, so that they are completely submerged and not touching each other. Otherwise they may tend to stick to the bottom of the pan or to each other.

So here is the recipe with all the steps and step-by-step photos, which will be useful especially for replicating the envelope closure of the rolls, difficult to explain in a way that is understandable in words.

Ingredients (for 8 rolls):

8 rice paper square sheets
1 carrot
80g cabbage
80g bean sprouts
100g leek (or onion)
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
Salt
Seed oil
Cornstarch

Directions:

First take care of the vegetables: peel and cut the carrot into strips about 4-5cm long. Do the same with cabbage and leek too. If you use onion, chop it as much as possible with a knife.
Then heat 2 tablespoons of seed oil in a wok or other type of non-stick pan and add the vegetables, soy sauce and a pinch of salt if necessary. The salinity of soy sauce can vary a lot depending on which one you are using, so before adding more salt, check if it is not already tasty enough.
Now, let the vegetables simmer for 10 minutes, so that they are not too crunchy. In this way they will adapt better to the shape of your rolls.
Prepare a batter with one tablespoon of cornstarch and two of water. You will need it to seal the rolls once rolled up.
Then immerse the rice paper sheets in warm water for about ten seconds and place them on the work surface. Fill them with 1 tablespoon of filling and arrange it diagonally on the lower half of each sheet.
Start wrapping the rice paper by rolling it around the filling until it reaches the diagonal of the square. Then fold the two points towards the center, as if you wanted to create a sort of envelope. Finally, go on rolling the foil around the filling and brush the tip before sealing them.
Put the rolls to rest on a surface or a baking tray, so that they dry well before frying them. Otherwise, if the water you wet the roll gets into the oil, you could cause unwanted hot splashes.
Now pour plenty of seed oil into the wok, bring it to temperature and fry the rolls. Do not put too many together if there is not enough space, better to fry several times, but avoid that they stick to each other. They will have to fry for a few minutes, until they are crisp and golden.
Then drain them well on absorbent paper and serve hot, perhaps accompanied by the typical sweet and sour sauce.