Spring Rolls - My Boyfriend Can and So Can You - No, Really, You Can.

Recently, I saw an article about how food companies categorize people by the texture of food they eat. They had the basic categories broken down into Chewers, Crunchers, Smooshers and Suckers. This article stated that companies are marketing food to consumers by "mouth feel", claiming texture is as important as taste.

"Why should I care and what does this have to do with spring rolls" you may ask.

Good question.

I get hungry for spring rolls because I am a Chewer. I like chewy food, and spring rolls just happen to be a delicious fit to this category. That's the number one reason I crave spring rolls. I prefer not to eat them fried because then they lose that perfect chew the wrapper has.

The great thing about all this, if you're a spring roll fan, is that they're very easy to make. They just require some preparation. Assembling and rolling is simple for anyone who has ever rolled a burrito...ever. Even my boyfriend, who claims he cannot cook, found success assembling and rolling his first spring roll...ever. So there you have it.

And here's the photo to prove it!

"What do I need?"

Cooked chicken thighs are my
favorite. These are seasoned
with soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper
ginger and coriander.

What you need to make spring rolls is mostly based upon your tastes. What do you want to put in your roll? Chicken? Shrimp? Carrot? Bacon? Think about it. If you use cucumber or carrot (or any crunchy vegetable), I suggest you julienne them. Yes, I have used bacon. No, I don't like bacon. But, yes, I know other people do.

The one thing you definitely need is the wrapper. The rest is up to you. I buy my wrappers at Weis in the Queensgate shopping center. I buy the Vietnamese ones that say "Good for Restaurant." I'm not kidding. I don't know if they're "good for restaurant" but they're good for me.

The other thing you probably (but not necessarily) want to have is cellophane noodles or thin rice noodles. I like cellophane noodles because they're more chewy. To prepare these, you boil water and drop in the noodles for about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the water immediately and place in a bowl. Keep the hot water. You'll need it for the wrappers.

"Okay, I'm ready now."

So now that you have all your ingredients prepared, it's time to start rolling. Spring roll wrappers are thin and brittle but soften quickly in hot water. The key is to have the water be hot or very warm or else the wrappers will not get sticky, meaning they won't stay wrapped.

Here is one dry spring roll wrapper. 

To soften the wrappers, I like to have 2 things: 1. a pie pan and 2. a medium to large sized plate. I pour my hot water into the pie pan and use the plate for rolling. To soften the wrapper, I carefully dip it into the hot water and turn it to evenly wet the entire wrapper. What you want is to have the wrapper softened so it is pliable but not too soft that it gets soggy. It will continue to absorb some of the water as it sits on the plate and you add your ingredients. This is probably the trickiest part because the wrapper will tend to curl or fold up on itself.

Softening the wrapper in a pie plate

Once the wrapper is soft, place it on the plate and add the ingredients. I like to add mine is a specific order that I've found to roll the easiest for me. You may find another way to do yours that works just for you. I like to add noodles first, then crunchy vegetables, followed by meat, adding the lettuce/greens last. Personally, I add the lettuce last because I use shredded, which packs down nicely and keeps it all together as I roll. If you use leaf lettuce or mint leaves, you may want to add that first.

This one doesn't have noodles,
but I usually put them closest to me
(below the carrots) when I do.

"Ready to Roll!"

Once you have all your ingredients arranged how you like them, you are ready to roll. Carefully, fold in both sides (left and right) and start rolling from the edge closest to you. This is what I mean that it's just like rolling a burrito. You want to make sure it rolls snugly so everything stays packed in. Just be careful you don't wrap too tightly and rip a hole in the wrapper. It happens. If the spring roll wrapper seems very sticky, just wet your fingers in the hot water, and that should help.

One of the reasons you want the water to be hot is so that when you are rolling, the wrapper sticks to itself and stays sealed, holding all the ingredients neatly inside.

The spring rolls will be best eaten fresh. They do keep in the refrigerator in a sealed container for about a day, but they will start to dry out and the texture will be different. As they dry out, the wrappers will start to crack or the rolls will stick to each other and the wrappers will tear. Because they are so quick and easy, I prefer to always make and eat them fresh.

Here I served them with peanut sauce and ginger sauce.
These are actually the ones that my boyfriend and I made last week!

Give it a try and let me know how they turn out!

If you need help, tweet me at @korea_has_seoul.