Spring Rolls in the UK: what it is, how to order it, where to find it
Quick answer
Spring rolls are crisp fried rolls of thin pastry around a vegetable or meat filling, the standard starter of the British Chinese meal. The name comes from their origin as a spring-festival food. The good version is shatteringly crisp with a hot, well-seasoned filling; the bad one is a greasy tube of cabbage. They are eaten dipped in a sweet chilli or a vinegar sauce.
Calories and nutrition
- Calories
- 280
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Salt
- 1.2 g
220–360 kcal
Portion: Two spring rolls, about 120 g.
Deep-fried, so higher in fat; a vegetable filling is a little lighter than meat.
Estimates for a typical portion, based on standard UK and USDA food composition data. Actual values depend on the recipe and the restaurant.
What spring rolls are
A filling of shredded vegetables (cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts), sometimes with pork or prawn, is wrapped in thin wheat-flour spring-roll pastry and deep-fried until golden and crisp. They are smaller and crunchier than the soft, fresh Vietnamese rolls (which are a different thing, wrapped in rice paper and not fried). Cantonese spring rolls are thin and crisp; the larger, doughier version some takeaways sell is a compromise. The filling should be seasoned and hot, the pastry crackling. They come with a dip, usually sweet chilli or a soy-vinegar.
How to judge them
The pastry should shatter and the filling should be hot and tasty, not lukewarm greasy cabbage. Thin, blistered pastry is the mark of a good one; a thick, bready wrap is the low end. Freshly fried beats sitting under a lamp; if they arrive soft they were cooked ahead. Vegetable spring rolls are the classic; meat versions are common in the UK.
Spring rolls versus other dim sum
Spring rolls are one of the fried dim sum. Wontons, dumplings, sesame prawn toast and crispy seaweed round out the usual UK starter selection. A mixed starter platter is the way to try several. The crisp fried items should be eaten first, while hot.
Where it is done well in the UK
Cantonese restaurants and dim sum houses make the thinnest, crispest rolls. Our directory lists areas with the most Chinese restaurants.
How to order it
Eat spring rolls straight away while crisp; they go soft fast. Thin, blistered pastry is the sign of a good one. A mixed starter platter lets you try several. Dip in the sweet chilli or vinegar that comes with them.
Where it's done well
UK councils with the most spring rolls specialists, by restaurant name, in our directory.
Restaurants near you
Search by postcode or use your location to find restaurants likely to serve spring rolls near you.
Make it at home
Serves 4 · 45 min
Ingredients
- 8 spring-roll wrappers
- 200 g shredded cabbage
- 1 carrot, grated
- 100 g bean sprouts
- 100 g minced pork or prawn, optional
- 2 spring onions
- 1 tbsp soy, 1 tsp sesame oil, pinch sugar, white pepper
- oil for frying, 1 tbsp cornflour in water to seal
Method
- Stir-fry the vegetables (and pork if using) with the soy, sesame oil, sugar and pepper until just wilted; cool and drain well.
- Put a spoon of filling on each wrapper, fold in the sides and roll tightly, sealing the edge with the cornflour paste.
- Deep-fry at 180°C until golden and crisp, a few at a time. Drain.
- Serve hot with sweet chilli sauce.
Drain the filling well so the rolls do not go soggy, and roll tightly. Fry hot so they crisp without absorbing oil.