Spring roll

A fried spring roll often has shredded cabbage, carrot and other vegetables, sometimes with pork, chicken or prawns. Fresh versions are commonly wrapped around rice noodles, herbs and vegetables, with prawns or tofu.

Keep the filling fairly dry and let it cool before wrapping. Seal the edge with a little water or a flour-and-water paste, then fry in oil at about 175 °C until crisp and golden.

Yes. Arrange them in a single layer on a lightly oiled tray and bake at 200 °C, turning once, until crisp and piping hot throughout; use the packet timing as a guide because sizes differ.

Refrigerate cooked spring rolls in a covered container within two hours and eat them within three days. Reheat once until piping hot throughout; an oven or air fryer helps bring back the crisp wrapper.

Serve fried spring rolls with sweet chilli sauce, plum sauce or a sharp vinegar dip. Fresh rolls go well with peanut dipping sauce, and can be part of a meal with noodle salad or soup.

Yes, but rice paper behaves differently from the wheat-based wrappers used for many fried spring rolls. Dip each sheet briefly in warm water, wrap gently, and avoid overcrowding if frying, as the wrappers can stick together.

The names are used differently in different menus, but egg rolls are often thicker, with a wheat wrapper that may contain egg, and are deep-fried. Spring rolls can have thinner wheat wrappers or be fresh rice-paper rolls.

Both are common: fried spring rolls have a crisp wrapper, while fresh rolls are wrapped in softened rice paper and are not cooked. Check which kind a recipe means before buying wrappers, as they are not interchangeable.