Easy Chinese Prawn Spring Rolls Recipe that anyone can make at home with simple everyday ingredients. Crispy skin outside, juicy prawns, and vegetable fillings inside. Perfect as an appetizer, or savoury party snack.
If you’ve tried my Thai Spring Rolls and Chicken Spring Roll recipes, you will find that they all are very similar in general. Only the ingredients are slightly different.
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Why you need to try this recipe
- These homemade rolls are super crispy, non-greasy, taste way better and healthier than regular Chinese takeaways!
- When you make at home you know what you are adding and its very versatile. You can add any of your favourite protein, vegetables and seasonings according to your preference and make it your own-style spring rolls.
- Easy to prep-ahead for dinner, parties and gatherings. Your guest will definitely love your prawn rolls!
- Can serve the crowd with minimum expense. Budget-friendly and kid-friendly too! No kid can resist this yummy spring rolls!
Ingredients you need:
I’ve explained some essential ingredients and their substitutes in the following details:
Spring Roll Pastry/Wrappers: It’s also called spring roll paper or wrapper in some packaging, TYJ brand spring roll pastry is widely available in the UK, US and most countries’ supermarkets and Asian grocery stores. You can find it in the freezer sections. It’s basically made with wheat flour, salt, and water.
In Asian countries like Thailand, China, Burma, Vietnam, you can find fresh spring roll paper in the wet market, which is usually made with rice flour. You can add your favourite fillings and wrap them in the fresh rice paper and serve it up straight away, without deep frying.
Spring roll wrapper substitute: You can use egg roll wrappers or Vietnamese rice paper sheets but the texture will be different. Egg roll wrappers are made of egg, flour and water and are thicker than spring roll paper. They are gluten-free too!
Vietnamese rice paper sheets can be used by softening the sheets with water first, then add the fillings, you don’t need the flour glue as the rice paper sheets are sticky enough to hold the rolls in shape.
Protein: You can add king prawns, tiger prawns, shrimps, scallops, crab meat, pork, chicken or turkey mince.
For vegetarians: Substitute prawns with tofu or Quorn mince and use vegetarian oyster sauce ( available in Lee Kum Kee Brand ) instead of regular oyster sauce.
Vegetables: You don’t need to add exact same vegetables or the exact amount. You can also add extra vegetables like beansprouts, sweet corns, Chinese chives, etc.
Shiitake Mushroom: I use dried Shiitake mushroom in this recipe. If you wish to add fresh mushroom, you can use fresh shiitake mushroom, button mushroom or white mushroom.
Deep Frying Oil: To deep fry the prawn rolls, you need to fill the frying pan about 2″ with vegetable oil. Or use any neutral flavour oil like canola, grapeseed, sunflower or peanut oil.
Seasonings: Simply season with soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and back/white pepper to taste.
How to make prawn spring rolls:
1. First, stir fry the prawns, and vegetables and cool down completely before wrapping. ( Drain the excess liquid out. )
2. Wrap the fillings in the spring roll wrapper and seal it with flour glue.
3. Deep fry with hot vegetable or neutral flavour oil until crispy golden brown. Remove from oil and transfer to a cooling rack or paper towel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Thai spring rolls usually consist of thin glass noodles in the fillings and are seasoned with fish sauce and coriander stems/roots. While Chinese spring rolls are usually seasoned with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil.
You can use filo pastry as a substitute but the texture will be different. You can bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until crispy.
How to serve this dish
You can simply serve on its own or serve with sweet chilli sauce, sweet and sour sauce, hot chilli sauce, or any of your favourite dipping sauce.
More of our family’s favourite Chinese recipes:
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Prawn Spring Rolls
Ingredients
- 150-200 g Prawns/Shrimp (about 5.3 oz) peeled and devained, roughly chopped
- 15 sheets Spring roll paper 10-15 sheets, ( square 250mm x 250mm ) see details in note
- 200 g Cabbage Shredded ( about 2-3 cup ), use Chinese cabbage or sweetheart cabbage
- 3-4 Dried shiitake mushroom pre-soaked in warm water for 15 minutes
- 100 g Carrot Shredded ( about 1 cup )
- 1 tbsp Garlic finely chopped
- 3-4 Spring Onions thin slices
- 1 tbsp Vegetable oil or any neutral flavour oil ( for stir-frying fillings )
- Vegetable oil for deep frying Or any neutral flavour frying oil
- 1 tbsp Plain flour ( mixed with 2 tbsp water ) flour glue to seal the wrappers
Seasonings
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce All purpose soy sauce or Light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
- ¼ tsp Black pepper ( or white pepper )
Instructions
- Roughly chop the prawns and thinly shred the carrot and cabbage. Pre-soaked the dry shiitake mushroom in warm water for 15 minutes, then gently squeeze the water out and cut into small pieces.
- Heat the large wok/pan over medium high heat, drizzle 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil, add the chopped garlic and stir for few seconds.
- Add prawns and stir for few seconds, then follow with the mushroom and shredded carrots. Stir fry for few seconds and add the shredded cabbage then follow with spring onions. ( Stir fry over medium-high heat. )
- Season with soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and black pepper. Continue stir fry for another 2-3 minutes until the vegetables are wilted and tender.
- Transfer to large tray or plate and let it completely cool down. Tips: If there is any liquid from vegetables left in the fillings, place the fillings over the strainer and drain all the liquid out.
Wrapping Spring rolls
- To wrap the spring rolls, scoop 2-3 tablespoon of fillings on one side of the wrapper. Fold away from your side like an envelope. Seal it up with the plain flour and water mixture glue. Repeat the process to all rolls until the fillings runs out. ( see instrutions in the recipe video. )
Deep Frying
- Heat the vegetable oil or neutral flavour oil into high heat about 340-350°F. Deep fry the spring rolls for 5-6 minutes, or until crispy golden brown. ( Do not overcrowd the oil and keep the temperature into high-heat to prevent the spring rolls from greasy and soggy. )
- Remove from oil and transfer to cooling rack. Simply serve with your favourite dipping sauce, hot chilli sauce or sweet chilli sauce.
Baking Option
- Place the spring rolls on the wire rack, over the baking tray. Brush or spray generous amount of vegetable oil on both sides. Pre-heat the oven or air-fryer about 400°F, bake until crispy golden about 18-20 minutes. Turn sides halfway through.
Notes
- Spring rolls paper – Also called spring rolls wrapper/pastry/sheets. You can find it in most supermarkets or Asian grocery stores frozen sections. I used TYJ brand square sheets ( 250mm × 250mm ).
- Protein & Vegetables – You don’t need to use the exact same protein or vegetables. You can swap prawns with crab meat, chicken, tofu, eggs, or any protein. Vegetables like bean sprouts, sweet corns, mushrooms, spring onions can be added according to your taste.
- Salt – Make a taste test before you wrap the fillings, sprinkle some salt or pepper according to your taste.
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