Eggless Eggrolls, aka Fried Spring Rolls - Vegan!

This super easy recipe allows you to throw together your own veggie eggrolls/fried springrolls.... but no eggs are involved! Fully plant-based, this recipe is quick, versatile, and you can fill them with whatever ingredients you have available. Enjoy!




Ingredients:

Spring roll wrappers (get them from any health food or Asian food store)

Sesame oil

Veggies of your choice- cabbage, bok choy, carrots, onions, mushrooms, radish, sprouts/microgreens, fresh herbs etc.

Spices of your choice- freshly grated or powdered ginger, freshly minced or powdered garlic, black pepper, salt, etc. - all to taste


Directions:

Chop your veggies into very thin matchstick slices. For this batch, we are actually low on produce and only have cabbage and onions so that's what I used (and they came out amazing!).

Throw the chopped veggies into a frying pan with a tablespoon or so of sesame oil. Add your spices and saute everything on medium-high heat until golden brown and soft. Put aside.

Fill a mixing bowl with water and place next to you on a cutting board or clean counter work-space. Take one spring roll wrapper out of the package at a time and fully submerge the wrapper into the water, covering both sides and every part of it until it starts to soften and get a little slimy (just a few seconds). Lay it FLAT out on your work surface. It will become almost transparent and be very delicate, so try not to let it stick to itself. Take a large spoonful of your sautéed veggies and place in the center of the wrapper, like you're about to roll a burrito. Add any fresh uncooked ingredients like sprouts, microgreens or herbs on top if using. Gently take the top of the wet and delicate wrapper and fold it down over the veggies. Fold the left and right edges inward and wrap over (they should stick really well on their own) and wrap the bottom edge up to complete the "roll". Similar to making a burrito or swaddling a baby or small dog. Try not to wrap too tight, or the wrapper may stretch or get a hole in it. Roll wrapping is an art and may take a little practice if you don't get it perfectly the first time, don't worry! If you get any holes, you can try wrapping one of the edges over the hole to patch it up.

As you create your rolls, put them aside on a clean surface and be careful when handling since they are sticky and delicate.

Use the same pan you sauted your veggies in and heat up some more sesame oil. Carefully add 2-4 rolls at a time (depending on the size of your pan) and fry on each side until golden brown and crispy! Add more sesame oil as needed to keep them from burning.

Allow your rolls to cool before serving. They taste delicious paired with assorted dipping sauces such as soy sauce, teriyaki, Soyaki (a great sauce from Trader Joe's that's basically soy and teriyaki combined) peanut sauce, sweet chili sauce, orange sauce, etc. These make a great appetizer or a meal on their own!




*This recipe is not very rigid as you can tell by the flexible ingredient options and lack of exact measurements, and the basic steps to constructing the eggrolls and cooking them are fairly easy once you get the hang of it! Get creative about the veggies and spices you use as filling (and even feel free to experiment with different ingredients- you can try other veggies or throw in some tofu and seitan if you'd like some extra protein or a meat-type substitute.. the sky is the limit on filling combinations!) - same with the spices, experiment and just loosely add a little to taste at a time as if you were just stir-frying veggies to your liking.