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Vegetable Spring Rolls

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appetizers•chinese•vegan, vegetarian, contains gluten
75 minutes•16 spring rolls•

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms – stems removed, finely chopped (~11 medium shiitake mushrooms)
  • 8 ounces napa cabbage – cored and finely shredded
  • 6 ounces carrots – cut into thin matchsticks (~3 medium carrots)
  • 1 1/2 cups mung bean sprouts – rinsed and well drained
  • 1/2 cups scallions – thinly sliced (~2.5 n/a green onions)
  • 2 cloves garlic – finely minced
  • 1 tablespoons ginger – peeled and finely grated
  • 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
  • 1 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
  • 1 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons water
  • 16 sheets spring roll wrappers
  • 2 quarts vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
  • 1 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoons chili oil
Vegetable spring rolls

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water to make a smooth slurry; set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, 1–2 minutes. Add the shiitake mushrooms and stir-fry until they release moisture and begin to brown, 2–3 minutes.

3. Add the napa cabbage and carrots; stir-fry until just wilted but still crisp-tender, 3–4 minutes.

4. Add the scallions, garlic, and ginger; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30–60 seconds.

5. Stir in 2 tablespoons soy sauce, the Shaoxing wine, 1 teaspoon sugar, the white pepper, and the sesame oil. Cook, tossing, until the liquid mostly evaporates and the pan looks nearly dry, 1–2 minutes. Remove from heat, fold in the mung bean sprouts, then spread the filling on a tray to steam off and cool completely, 15–20 minutes.

6. Place one spring roll wrapper on a clean surface with a corner pointing toward you. Spoon about 1/4 cup of cooled filling across the lower third. Fold the bottom corner over the filling, tuck snugly, fold in the sides, then roll up tightly. Brush the top corner with the cornstarch slurry to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

7. Pour 2 quarts vegetable oil into a deep, heavy pot to a depth of 2–3 inches and heat to 350°F over medium-high heat. Fry the spring rolls in batches without crowding, turning occasionally, until deep golden and blistered, 4–5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a rack to drain and rest 2–3 minutes so the shells set.

8. For the dipping sauce, stir together 3 tablespoons soy sauce, the Chinese black vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, and the chili oil until the sugar dissolves.

9. Serve the spring rolls hot with the dipping sauce.

Vegetable spring rolls are a dim sum favorite: crisp, shattering wheat wrappers encasing a savory, vegetable-studded filling. The contrast is the appeal—light, blistered pastry around tender cabbage, sweet carrot, and earthy mushroom, with scallion, ginger, and garlic aromatics shining through. A soy-and-vinegar dipping sauce adds bright, tangy depth that cuts the richness of the fry while amplifying the vegetables’ sweetness and umami.

Spring rolls trace their roots to China, where they were associated with the Spring Festival and the first tender greens of the season. Over time, Cantonese kitchens refined the fried wheat-wrapper version that became a hallmark of teahouses and dim sum carts. Regional and diaspora variations abound—from Northern styles with more cabbage to Southern renditions featuring sprouts or bamboo shoots—but the essential idea remains a tightly rolled, crisp-fried parcel celebrating fresh produce.