I have been thinking about hacking a spring roll recipe to avoid deep frying and I believe I have found the answer. If you like crispy spring rolls with a flavourful filling and a delicious peanut dipping sauce, then you will like this recipe. JT is all about the deep fried spring roll and I adore fresh rolls (rice paper rolls that are not cooked). It’s easy to accommodate when we go out because we order what we want (and usually have leftovers for another day!) but at home, I prefer not to make two separate dishes so poor JT has to endure the fresh rolls (I also don’t like deep frying). It was the middle of the night when I came up with this idea: to use phyllo pastry as the roll paper! The idea festered in my brain for some time, I even bought the phyllo pastry and had it in the fridge for a week before I carved out some time to make them. To be honest, the first attempt was a bit soggy, the phyllo absorbed all of the liquid from the filling and didn’t crisp up and that’s when I put my thinking cap on and came up with this winner! The first set was made with half a phyllo sheet, this time, I used an entire sheet for one roll. I also brushed each sheet with sesame oil and sprinkled coconut flour over each sheet (coconut flour absorbs liquid quite effectively without much taste). The result was outstanding, JT approved with gusto. I will definitely make these again.
Crispy Baked Spring Rolls
A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe
Makes 6 x 20 cm rolls
To print this recipe, please click here.
Ingredients:
- 60 g protein, your choice, finely minced
- 5 mL each, soy sauce and hoisin sauce
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 small shallot, finely chopped
- 30 mL sesame oil, divided
- 45 mL grape seed oil
- 20 g coconut flour
- 6 sheets phyllo pastry
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 1 mini cucumber, finely sliced
- 42 g glass noodles, cooked
Directions:
- Heat 15 mL sesame oil in a small frying pan, add the garlic and shallot and cook until softened. Add the protein and cook through. Season with soy sauce and hoisin sauce. Cool completely.
- Combine the remaining 15 mL sesame oil and grape seed oil in a small container.
- Take one phyllo sheet and brush with combined oils. Sprinkle a small amount of coconut flour on the oiled sheet (I find using a small sieve makes this very easy).
- In the centre of one short end, spread some grated carrot, sliced cucumber and glass noodles. Add about 1 tbsp meat mixture and spread. Fold the bottom and top sides into the roll (about 1/3:1/3:1/3) and brush with a little of the oil mixture, sprinkle with coconut flour and begin rolling tightly from the filled end. The first layer of the pastry will crack, but don’t worry, it will be covered with several layers. Repeat until you have 6 finished rolls.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Brush the finished roll with the remaining oil mixture and lay on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden, turning occasionally. Serve with peanut dipping sauce, recipe below.
Ingredients for the peanut dipping sauce:
- 60 mL chunky peanut butter
- 45 mL rice vinegar
- 5 mL soy sauce
- dash of honey
- lime juice
Directions for the peanut dipping sauce:
- Combine all of the ingredients and whisk until well combined. Taste, adding sweetness or salt as needed.
Notes:
- Protein choices: ground beef, pork or chicken. For vegetarian, try crumbled tofu or even tempeh.
- The pastry thickness is essential to make a crispy spring roll, otherwise, the filling moisture overwhelms the pastry and it becomes soggy.
Genius technique! I’m the same way—love the flavors, but don’t like deep frying! They look perfect, Eva!
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Thank you for the kind words, Liz. Hope your kitchen reno finishes soon so you can get back to cooking and baking!
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Excellent idea, Eva! And they look beautiful too! I never make the deep-fried spring rolls (though I deep fry some Japanese dishes, but I do it in a small pan… I never use more than 1/2 l oil) and only make the “raw” ones, which are so light and guilt-free… I bake filo rolls all the time (I make a huge batch and then eat all week long), so I only need to change the filling! Thank you for this wonderful idea.
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Thank you for your kind words Sissi. I just love the texture of filo pastry, no matter what the filling is. You have reminded me that I need to make Spanakopita soon, we haven’t had it in so long.
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I like good alternatives for deep frying. But not for health reasons! I avoid the fryer because of the mess it makes. This is so much more sensible. GREG
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It sure does make a mess, that is another reason to bake instead of fry. Thanks for your comment, Greg.
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Lovely baked sprinbgrolls! I love them! yum!
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HI Sophie, looks like you are having a great time in Ireland, the photos look awesome. Did you know you have commenting turned off on your blog? Thank you for your kind words.
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I like frying things — and particularly like the result — but the clean up? No thanks! In particular, handling all of that oil. And of course it’s often not the healthiest way to cook, either. So these baked spring rolls looks perfect — great texture, wonderful flavor. Thanks!
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The cleanup is brutal, I agree John. The deep fryer I presently own need 3 liters of oil, that’s a huge amount of waste. I would keep it but I don’t deep fry often enough. Thanks for your kind words.
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That looks really, really interesting. And filling!
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Thanks Jeff, they were quite tasty.
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Some great kitchen engineering!
I do wonder though with the 60 ml of oil you used whether it actually contains less fat than deep fried spring rolls. Deep frying had a bad rep, but if done correctly there is nothing wrong with it.
PS in the first step of the description I think you mean sesame oil where you wrote coconut oil
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Thanks Stefan, good point about the oil. My old deep fryer never really got hot enough so the food would soak up a lot of oil; I’m not sure about the one I have now. I will correct the error, thanks for keeping an eye open for me.
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They look great! I dislike deep frying and always bake my spring rolls too. Have you ever tried making these with spring roll pastry? It crisps up really well in the oven 🙂
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I’d like to try that Lorraine but the shells they sell here are frozen and you have to buy so many, I’m not sure how to use only some without tossing the leftovers.
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These are wonderful! I actually bought an electric deep fryer about ten years ago, and have still never used it. I just have a thing against frying for some reason. So I’m all for your recipe!
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I had to buy a deep fryer for a job a couple of years ago, it’s a Cuisinart but it takes 3 L of oil which is a crazy amount for someone who hardly deep fries! And like you, I am not in love with deep frying either.
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We love spring rolls! You can’t fail with them!
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Hi Recipettes, welcome to my blog. Thank you for your comment.
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You are very welcome. Have a wonderful weekend
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I grew up eating spring rolls made with rice paper and mostly fried. Your baked version with filo pastry looks really crisp, yummy and healthier!
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Thank you kindly, Angie. These were definitely a hit with the gang!
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