Curried Shrimp Spring Rolls
Originally posted March 5, 2013. Updated 2/4/2021
These Curried Shrimp Spring rolls are a quick and easy meal that you can make at home - one of our absolute favourites to make!
Making spring rolls at home has become such second nature to us, that I was a little caught off guard recently.
A friend - who's no slouch in the kitchen, herself - expressed surprise at the idea of making homemade spring rolls.
... and then I remembered the first time I'd tried to make them.
The rice paper was so thin and fragile, and I would break/rip it no matter what I did. Extremely frustrating experience, and it turned out the ugliest, least coherent rolls I've ever seen in my life.
That only lasted for one attempt, though.
The Secret to Making Fresh Spring Rolls
We went to a favorite Vietnamese restaurant shortly after that, and THAT is where I learned the secret.
I asked the waiter what the difference was between their thick, stable rice paper spring roll wrappers, and the incredibly thin crap I was buying in the grocery store.
The answer? They used the exact same stuff I did.. but a double thickness of it!
From that day onward, spring rolls haven't been a mystery or a frustration to us... and we can easily enjoy them at home!
Here's hoping that the "secret" helps you as much as it did us!
Spring Roll Fillings
The curried shrimp is only one part of these spring rolls - you’ll also want some veggies!
I love using a mix of bright colours and flavours, though the actual content will vary each time we make them.
Here are some of my favourite inclusions:
- Bean Sprouts
- Broccoli Sprouts
- Carrot ribbons
- Cilantro
- Cucumber
- Fresh Mint
- Mango
- Purple Cabbage
- Red Pepper
What we use any given time depends on what mood I’m in, and what’s seasonal / accessible. Just go with what you like!
How to Make Curried Shrimp Spring Rolls
1. Boil rice vermincelli for a few minutes, remove from heat and allow to soften to desired texture. Drain and allow to cool.
2. Prepare your vegetables. Wash, peel, slice, chop - whatever needs to be done.
3. In a fry pan, saute shrimp in olive oil until shrimp is almost fully cooked. Sprinkle with curry and hot peppers, season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute until fully cooked, remove from heat.
4. Fill a large bowl with very hot water.
Submerge one sheet of rice paper, then immediately submerge another one right on top of it.
Wait 3 seconds, remove both sheets from water together, and smooth out on your clean work surface. While smoothing rice sheets out, be sure to push excess water out from between the sheets as you go.
5. Arrange a few shrimp on the rice sheets, as shown. Top with your choice of veggies, and some chopped mint and cilantro.
6. Arrange a small handful of well drained, cooled vermicelli across the middle of the rice paper wrappers, leaving a couple of inches of wrapper on either end of the vermicelli pile.
7. Fold about ⅓ of the wrapper over the pile of filling, pulling it tightly against it. Fold one of the sides up over that fold, Fold the other side over.
Holding the rice wrapper tightly against the filling, press to squeeze out any air that could be in with the filling, then tightly roll up the spring roll.
8. Repeat as necessary, serve with fish sauce and /or peanut sauce.
About the Peanut Sauce
Some day, I’ll do up a recipe for the peanut sauce. For now, I... don’t really have one.
When I make spring rolls, I make peanut sauce on the spot, throwing things together.
Peanut sauce, chicken broth and/or coconut milk.
Some fish sauce, usually some ginger. Maybe some garlic.
Sriracha, Jeow sauce, and/or crushed chilies. Whatever.
Lime juice or calamansi juice, depending on what I have on hand.
Gluten-Free Cookbooks!
Also, if you're interested in gluten-free cooking and baking, you should definitely check out my gluten-free cookbooks: Beyond Flour: A Fresh Approach to Gluten Free Cooking & Baking, and the sequel... Beyond Flour 2. You can order them right here on my website, through Amazon, or through any major bookseller.
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Curried Shrimp Spring Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 package rice vermicelli
- 1 bunch cilantro chopped
- 1 bunch mint chopped
- 1 carrot peeled
- 1 package bean sprouts
- Green onions sliced in half lengthwise (optional)
- ½ lb raw shrimp shells and tails removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ¼-1/2 hot pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper
- 12 rice paper spring roll wrappers
Instructions
- Boil rice vermincelli for a few minutes, remove from heat and allow to soften to desired texture. Drain and allow to cool.
- Mix cilantro and mint together, place in a small bowl.
- Use a vegetable peeler to process the carrot down into long, thin strips. Place on a plate or work surface, along with bean sprouts and green onions. Set aside.
- In a fry pan, saute shrimp in olive oil until shrimp is almost fully cooked. Sprinkle with curry and hot peppers, season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute until fully cooked, remove from heat.
- Fill a large bowl with very hot water. Submerge one sheet of rice paper, then immediately submerge another one right on top of it. Wait 3 seconds, remove both sheets from water together, and smooth out on your clean work surface. While smoothing rice sheets out, be sure to push excess water out from between the sheets as you go.
- Arrange a small handful of well drained, cooled vermicelli across the middle of the rice paper wrappers, leaving a couple of inches of wrapper on either end of the vermicelli pile.
- Top with a small amount of bean sprouts
- Sprinkle a little mint/cilantro mix over the bean sprouts, top with carrot pieces and shrimp.
- Fold about ½ of the wrapper over the pile of filling, pulling it tightly against it. Fold one of the sides up over that fold.
- Fold the other side over.
- Holding the rice wrapper tightly against the filling, press to squeeze out any air that could be in with the filling, then tightly roll up the spring roll.
- Repeat as necessary, serve with fish sauce.
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