Spring rolls can make a flavorful side dish or a light and nutritious meal depending on how many you prepare and with what you fill them. Some of the best tips for making any type of spring roll is to prepare all of the fillings first, making sure that each individual ingredient is small and does not have any sharp edges. Soak the wrappers first so that they are pliable and soft, but make sure that you thoroughly drain them before filling and rolling them. During the assembly process, keep the wrappers pliable by covering them with a damp towel until you are ready to assemble the rolls.
When making spring rolls, it is important that you prepare the fillings first and arrange everything for assembling the rolls before you start soaking or working with the wrappers. This will prevent the rice paper from drying out or soaking for too long, and allow you to pay complete attention to the fillings. Cook any meat and mince up any vegetables, placing each in a small bowl. Once you start wrapping, you need to work quickly to ensure that the rice paper does not tear or dry out, which can cause it to crack when rolling. Therefore, it can be helpful to line everything up in an assembly line in the location where you will be putting the spring rolls together so you have all that you need close by.
Due to the delicate nature of the wrappers used for spring rolls, it is important that the filling ingredients are small enough that they do not tear into the wrapper. Ingredients such as cucumbers, carrots, or other vegetables should be minced, as julienned or larger chunks often have sharp edges that can easily tear into the wrapper. If you prefer a julienne cut, blanch the vegetables prior to using them to soften the edges. Generally, everything should be kept the same size for even distribution and to keep the spring rolls intact.
Most spring roll wrappers need to be soaked and drained prior to working with them, even if they feel pliable to the touch. As the wrappers aren’t generally cooked, the soaking helps to remove some of the floury taste that many wrappers have, and makes them easy to work with and simple to seal once you’re done rolling. You should usually immerse the wrappers in cool or room-temperature water for up to three minutes before you start assembling your spring rolls. Despite this, they should not be soaking wet right before you roll them, as this can make them prone to tearing; to prevent this, gently shake them or pat the water off before you work with them.
If you are making a large batch of rolls, keep the wrappers that you aren’t using covered with a wet cloth until you’re ready to work with them. Most spring roll wrappers dry out very quickly, yet leaving them in the soaking water for too long can ruin their texture. For this reason, once you’ve soaked the stack of wrappers and drained the excess water, place them on a plate and cover them tightly with a damp cloth so that they retain their dampness without exposing them to too much moisture.
