Crispy Rice Paper Rolls
Vegan crispy rice paper rolls made with a punchy mushroom and pak choi filling are the kind of thing you make once and then can't stop thinking about. We came up with these on a night when we wanted something a bit hands-on, and they completely delivered. The sambal oelek and soy sauce combo gives the filling a proper kick, and the sesame seeds press into the outside to give you that satisfying crunch. Ready in 30 minutes, and the dipping sauce is just sweet chilli and soy, so no faff. Make a double batch. You'll thank yourself.
Before You Start
- Air fryer preheated to 180°C
- Microplane or fine grater
- Deep plate for soaking rice paper
- Separate plate for softened rice paper
- Frying pan
- Cool the mushroom filling before rolling
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 350g mixed mushrooms
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 inches of ginger
- 1 bunch of spring onions
- 2 pak choi
- 1 carrot
- 1 tbsp - sambal oelek
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 10g fresh chives
- 6 rice paper sheets
- 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
Method
Prepare the ingredients
- Trim and finely slice the spring onions. Finely slice the mushrooms. Finely slice the pak choi. Peel and and grate the garlic and ginger. Peel and coarsely grate the carrot. Finely slice the chives
Cook the filling
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and fry for 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and spring onions and stir for 2 minutes. Add the white parts of the bok choy and the carrot to the pan and stir for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the soy sauce and sambal oelek to the pan and stir for 1 minute. Add the green parts of the bok choy and the chives to the pan, fold through the mixture take the pan off the heat and set to one side to cool
Build the spring rolls
- Fill a deep plate with water. Take one rice paper sheet and submerge it in the water for 8-10 seconds and transfer the sheet to a separate plate. Place 2 heaped tablespoons of the mushroom mixture at the bottom of the sheet of rice paper, leaving 2 inches exposed at the bottom of the sheet. Fold the left and right edges of the sheet up tight to the filling before tightly rolling the filling up in the sheet. Set the spring roll on a plate and put it to one side. Repeat with the remaining ingredients so you have six rolls in total.
Cook the spring rolls
- Drizzle a little oil over the spring rolls, sprinkle over a few sesame seeds, transfer the rolls to the airfryer and cook until crispy (approximately 10 minutes at 180*C)
Prepare the dipping sauce and serve
- Add the soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce to a serving dish and stir to combine. Take the Spring Rolls out of the airfryer, display on a plate and serve immediately
Tips & Variations
- Get the filling dry: After cooking the mushrooms, spread them on a plate for a couple of minutes before filling. Any excess moisture is the enemy of a crispy roll.
- Don't over-soak the rice paper: A very brief dip in warm water is enough. It carries on softening as you fill and fold, so pull it out while it still feels a little firm.
- Sesame crust matters: Press the sesame seeds firmly onto the outside of each roll before frying so they actually stick. A mix of white and black looks great and adds a gentle nuttiness.
Why This Works
The trick is getting the mushroom filling as dry as possible before you roll, so the rice paper crisps up instead of going soggy. Cooking everything in the wok on a high heat with garlic and ginger means the flavour is deep before it even touches the wrapper. The sesame seed crust is the move that makes these look and taste like they came from a restaurant.