Authentic Chinese spring rolls are delightful treats, but the cooking makes my head ache every time I think about it. Nobody likes deep frying at home. Neither do I. Unless I’m cooking for a party or celebrating Chinese Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), I seldom use tons of oil just to fry a few spring rolls. So, what do you do when you’re craving those crispy and crunchy rolls? The solution is – bake them! Baked spring rolls do not look as pretty as deep fried ones, which have an even golden color and a nice sheen. I almost gave up publishing this recipe at first because of the look of the dish. Let’s admit it, nobody would like to try a new recipe if the picture doesn’t look appealing.
But these rolls are too good to pass on. So I decided to find a perfect way to bake them to make them look slightly prettier (and more delicious, of course!). To test the best baking temperature, I tried baking the spring rolls at low and high heat. I found out that although baking at lower temperature cooks the spring rolls more evenly, it takes a lot longer to get them colored. By the time the wrapper is done, the filling will be way overcooked. The spring rolls turned out much better when I raised the oven temperature to 200 degrees C (400 F). You’re probably not going to get an even color on the surface, but the whole thing is crispy, so it’s as great as the fried rolls.
As you might have known, most spring roll (and egg roll) recipes require you to cook the filling before assembling them. So much work, isn’t it? To make the cooking process easier, I used a simple filling in this recipe that does not require precooking. You only need to marinate the shrimps for 10 minutes, then mix them with cheese and green onions. The shrimps will be just cooked through, the cheese will melt, and the wrapper will turn super crispy. I served these baked spring rolls with a ketchup based dipping sauce. They are addictively good!
This is not an authentic Chinese recipe but I cannot wait to share it with you. Who says we can’t be playful with food once in awhile? I have no problem with that, as long as the food is tasty! 😉 Hope you enjoy!
