Por Pia – Fried Spring Rolls

This is just a really simple and fast dish that is great when friends are over or just when you feel like a deep fried Thai treat. You can prep these ahead of time, just dust them with a little flour to keep them from sticking together. You can even freeze them and hold them for up to 3months in an air tight container. Either way, when your ready, just fry them up and serve them with a bowl of Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce.

There isn’t any real secret here, just prepare the filling and let it cool before rolling in the wrappers. If there was a trick to the process it is don’t overfill the wrappers. They will burst in the fryer and you’ll have a mess more than a spring roll. Additionally you can play around with the ingredients to make them your own. This version is a traditional northern Thai recipe.

Por Pia (fried spring rolls)

Dennis Davis
A traditional northern Thailand version of the famous crispy appetizer.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Thai
Servings 2 people

Equipment

  • cutting board
  • wok or saute pan
  • pastry brush
  • fryer, wok, or pot of oil for frying

Ingredients
  

Filling

  • .5 tbsp oil Avocado, canola, any light oil, your preference
  • 7 ea cloves of garlic minced This recipe was written with asian garlic in mind, if you can't find this smaller variety, then use 2 cloves of regular garlic.
  • 2 oz chicken, minced any chicken is fine, just make sure it is boneless and skinless.
  • 1 tbsp carrot, fine julienne
  • 1 tbsp mushroom, fine julienne we used oyster mushrooms, any kind will do.
  • 1 tbsp firm tofu, small diced If you don't want or can't find the tofu, increase the mushroom to 2 tbsp
  • .25 cup bean sprouts
  • 1 tbsp chives, chopped
  • 1 tbsp glass noodles The glass noodles will need to be soaked for about 10 minutes in warm water before measuring.
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • .5 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 4 tbsp water

Building, cooking and serving

  • 1 package square spring roll wrappers
  • 1 qt oil Any oil you prefer to fry with. Canola, vegetable, peanut, etc..
  • 1 small bowl Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce A sweet chili sauce you can find almost anywhere.

Instructions
 

Filling

  • Heat the half a tablespoon of oil in a wok or saute pan.
  • Add garlic and chicken, fry for one minute stirring constantly to prevent burning and sticking.
  • Add vegetables and toss.
  • Add the remaining ingredients for filling except noodles and stir to incorporate.
  • Add noodles and mix for about ten seconds.
  • Place filling into a bowl and let cool.

The Build

  • Scramble the egg into a small bowl.
  • Place a spring roll wrapper with a corner facing you on a cutting board.
  • Add a heaping tablespoon to the area just below the middle of the wrapper.
  • Fold the end closest to you over the middle, then fold the two sides in on the middle, making it as tight as possible without tearing the wrapper
  • Put a little egg on the corner at the top with the pastry brush.
  • Roll the spring roll away from you to form the roll and seal the seem.
  • Repeat these steps until there is no more filling.

Fry them up

  • Heat your frying oil to 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Place a few spring rolls at a time in the oil and fry until golden brown.
  • Reserve on a rack to cool or a paper towel lined plate.
  • Serve with Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce.

Notes

Keyword Appetizer, Spring roll, Thai cuisine