Crispy Bánh Mì Spring Rolls With Creamy Chili Mayo Recipe (2024)

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J. Kenji López-Alt

Crispy Bánh Mì Spring Rolls With Creamy Chili Mayo Recipe (1)

J. Kenji López-Alt

Culinary Consultant

Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.

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Updated August 09, 2018

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Crispy Bánh Mì Spring Rolls With Creamy Chili Mayo Recipe (2)

Spring rolls are great, and I love the flavors of bánh mì, so why not stick 'em together? These rolls are stuffed with pickled carrots and daikon radish, cucumber, jalapeño, and cilantro (you can, of course, add whatever other filling you'd like. Tofu or shiitake mushrooms would be nice). The sauce is made with a mixture of homemade vegan mayonnaise and spicy chili-garlic sauce (yes, you can use Sriracha). Creamy, spicy, crispy, tangy, and a little greasy, they hit all the notes you want in a game time snack.

The Vegan Experience Days 20 and 21: The Vegan Super Bowl Snack Challenge

Recipe Details

Crispy Bánh Mì Spring Rolls With Creamy Chili Mayo Recipe

Active90 mins

Total0 mins

Serves30to 40 small spring rolls

Ingredients

  • 1 large carrot, cut into 3-inch matchsticks 1/8 inch thick (about 2 cups)

  • 1 small daikon radish, cut into 3-inch matchsticks 1/8 inch thick (about 2 cups)

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 1 tablespoon salt

  • 2 tablespoons white distilled or rice wine vinegar

  • 30 to 40 (5-inch) frozen spring roll wrappers, thawed

  • 1 large cucumber, peeled, cored, and cut into 3-inch sticks about 1/4-inch wide (30 to 40 sticks total)

  • 2 whole jalapeño peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into 3-inch sticks about 1/8th inch thick (30 to 40 sticks total)

  • 1 bunch cilantro, leaves and thin stems only

For the Dipping Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup Vegan Mayonnaise

  • 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce such as sambal oelek or sriracha, or more to taste

  • 1 teaspoon juice from 1 lime

  • 2 tablespoonsfinely minced cilantro leaves

  • 2 quarts vegetable oil

Directions

  1. Combine carrots, daikon, sugar, salt, and vinegar in a large bowl and massage with hands until vegetables are softened and salt and sugar are dissolved. Set aside for 15 minutes at room temperature.

  2. Lay one spring roll wrapper down with a corner pointed towards you. Cover remaining wrappers with plastic or a moist clean kitchen towel. Add a half dozen carrot/daikon sticks, 1 cucumber stick, 1 jalapeño stick, and a few leaves/stems of cilantro in a bundle in the lower third of the wrapper, keeping it in a nice, tight row. Roll from the bottom corner towards the top, keeping everything nice and tight. Roll until nearly half way up, then stop.

    Crispy Bánh Mì Spring Rolls With Creamy Chili Mayo Recipe (3)

  3. The next step is to fold the left and right corners towards the center. Start by first pressing in on the edges of the filling with your fingertips to make sure it's packed nice and tight. Fold the corners towards the center, again keeping everything tight. Moistening the edges of the wrapper with a bit of water will help it stick to itself and keep its shape.You want the bottom edge to form a 90° angle with the new edge you've just created by folding over the corner.

    Crispy Bánh Mì Spring Rolls With Creamy Chili Mayo Recipe (4)

  4. After both corners have been folded in, continue rolling towards the top of the paper. Moisten the top corner of the wrapper with a bit of water and continue rolling until the entire package is sealed. Repeat with remaining rolls until all the filling is used up. Finished rolls can be frozen for up to 3 months in a sealed container. If freezing, fry directly from the freezer, adding 1 minute to cook time.

    Crispy Bánh Mì Spring Rolls With Creamy Chili Mayo Recipe (5)

  5. To Make The Sauce: Combine mayonnaise, chili garlic sauce, lime juice, and cilantro. Set aside. Sauce will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

  6. To Serve: Heat oil in a large wok or Dutch oven to 325°F as registered on an instant read thermometer. Add 10 to 15 rolls and cook, agitating occasionally with a wire mesh spider, until golden brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with spicy mayonnaise.

Notes

This recipe calls for the smaller 5- by 5-inch spring roll wrappers which can be found in the frozen section of most East Asian markets. Egg roll wrappers can be substituted. If only larger wrappers are available, make larger rolls, or cut wrappers down to size.

Special Equipment

Wok or Dutch Oven

This Recipe Appears In

  • The Vegan Experience Days 20 and 21: The Vegan Super Bowl Snack Challenge
  • Asian
  • Frying
  • Game Day
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
54Calories
5g Fat
2g Carbs
0g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 30to 40
Amount per serving
Calories54
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g6%
Saturated Fat 0g2%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 144mg6%
Total Carbohydrate 2g1%
Dietary Fiber 0g1%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 3mg13%
Calcium 5mg0%
Iron 0mg0%
Potassium 48mg1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Crispy Bánh Mì Spring Rolls With Creamy Chili Mayo Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are crispy spring roll wrappers made of? ›

Spring roll wrappers are thin, translucent, and edible paper made from flour and water. It is different from rice paper wrappers. They are commonly used in many East Asian cuisines, such as Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese, to make spring rolls.

How do you crisp soggy spring rolls? ›

Frying the rolls

Believe me, a soggy fried spring roll loses half of its deliciousness. One trick that I use the most to make crunchy spring rolls is to fry them twice. First time with low heat so that it's partially cooked, take them out and let cool completely (or store them in the freezer for later).

How is Vietnamese deep fried spring roll different from the original Chinese dish? ›

A Vietnamese imperial roll is different from a Chinese spring roll in that it is typically smaller and contains ground or chopped meats/seafood such as pork, crab, shrimp, chicken, taro or cassava, glass noodles, wood-ear fungi or oyster mushrooms, and shredded carrots. Rice paper is traditionally used as wrappers.

Why are my Vietnamese spring rolls soggy? ›

Not keeping them crispy after they are cooked

This is because vegetables retain moisture, which in turn makes the spring roll soggy from the inside. Make sure you thoroughly dry the vegetables after washing them so that no more moisture is added to your spring rolls than is absolutely necessary.

What are traditional spring rolls made from? ›

A traditional Vietnamese recipe for spring rolls, made with marinated beef, shrimp, rice noodles, and veggies. So delicious and so fun to make with friends!

Is there a difference between wonton wrappers and spring roll wrappers? ›

Difference Between Wonton Wrappers/Egg Roll Wrappers/Spring Roll Wrappers. Wonton and egg roll wrappers are made with a similar wheat and egg dough. However, wonton wrappers are smaller in size compared to the other two. Spring roll wrappers do not contain eggs and are thinner than wonton or egg roll wrappers.

Why is my spring roll not crunchy? ›

Wrap Them Tightly:Ensure that you wrap the egg rolls tightly to prevent any air pockets. Air pockets can lead to uneven cooking and may result in less crispy areas. Preheat the Oil:Preheat the oil to the right temperature before frying the egg rolls. The ideal frying temperature is around 350-375.

How do you keep crispy rolls crispy? ›

If you want it to remain as fresh as possible, then you really have to enclose it in something like a plastic bag to retain its moisture. But the crust will be soft if you do that. For me, I just use bags to keep it fresher and then I will reheat a bun or loaf briefly to crisp the crust up again the next day.

What is the difference between Chinese spring rolls and Vietnamese spring rolls? ›

Vietnamese rolls are more correctly translated as Saigon rolls, because they were invented in Saigon and used to be called “nem Saigon - Saigon rolls” in the north. Chinese spring rolls have vegetable filling, but Saigon rolls are base on meat.

What is the difference between Japanese and Chinese spring rolls? ›

Japanese spring rolls are similar to Chinese spring rolls in that they are filled with vegetables, or a combination of vegetables, meat, and glass noodles (bean threads) wrapped in a thin pastry shell and fried. They differ, however, in that traditional Japanese harumaki tends to omit the use of garlic.

What is the difference between Thai spring rolls and Vietnamese spring rolls? ›

Another fried spring roll is the Vietnamese spring roll (cha gio). This version of spring roll is filled with pork, wood-ear mushroom, and other aromatics. Thai spring rolls are very similar to lumpia. The wrapper is made with rice flour and water.

Should you double fry spring rolls? ›

When ready to serve, refry the spring rolls (yes, you need to fry them twice) at 350°F/175°C for 1 ½ to 2 minutes to make them nice and crispy. Double-frying is important! Serve with fresh lettuce, cilantro, Thai basil, mint and nuoc cham for dipping.

How far in advance can you make Vietnamese spring rolls? ›

Make-Ahead

A few hours ahead: You can assemble a few hours before they are needed but as soon as they are assembled, keep them refrigerated, covered with a damp kitchen towel so the wrappers don't get dry. If stacking layers of spring rolls, place the damp towel between layers as well.

Are spring roll wrappers just rice paper? ›

spring roll wrappers are much more dense than rice paper. Rice paper dissolves in a few seconds of being wet. But you have to wet spring roll wraps in order to fold them. They are made of much the same ingredients and in a similar process, but rice paper is much much thinner.

Are spring roll wrappers the same as dumpling wrappers? ›

I would not recommend substituting either types of spring roll wrappers for dumpling wrappers as they are either not meant to be cooked, or best used for frying. Steaming either type of spring roll wrapper would mostly likely result in soggy or mushy wrappers.

Are spring roll wrappers healthy? ›

Fresh spring rolls are very healthy, especially if you pack them full of raw veggies and lean protein. The biggest question people have about the healthfulness of spring rolls is the wrapper. Spring roll wrappers are low in fat and calories. One piece of rice paper usually has between 30-40 calories.

Are spring roll wrappers the same as egg roll wrappers? ›

Spring rolls are wrapped in thin flour wrappers or rice wrappers, while egg rolls are wrapped in a thicker, noticeably crispier wrapper that's been dipped in egg for richness. Preparation. Egg rolls are fried, which accounts for their bubbly, crispy exteriors.

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