Crispy Rice Paper Spring Rolls Recipe (with Video)

1. In a small bowl, soak the textured vegetable protein with about 1.5 cups of boiling hot water for 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, soak the bean thread noodles with the remaining boiling hot water for 5 minutes. After it has been rehydrated, drain the water from the textured vegetable protein and noodles and set aside.
2. Peel the carrot, garlic, ginger, and white onion. If using a food processor, add the carrot, wood ear mushrooms, garlic, ginger, noodles and white onion and pulse until finely minced. If using a knife, mince everything by hand. The goal is to get the pieces to be a small as possible to fit inside the rice papper. Finally, grate the taro root.
3. In a large bowl, combine the textured vegetable protein, noodles, carrot, garlic, ginger, white onion, mushrooms, and taro root. Add MSG, mushroom seasoning, sugar, and vegan oyster sauce. Mix everything until well combined.
4. [Wrapping the spring rolls]: In a medium sized bowl, add 4 cups of the room temperature water. Quickly dip one piece of rice paper in the water bowl in a circular motion until the entire paper is completely wet, no longer than 3-5 seconds. The rice paper will feel stiff initially but will gradually soften in about 30-45 seconds. Place the wet rice paper on a flat surface such as a plate or chopping board. Add 1.5 tbsp of the vegetable filling in the center lower edge (closer to you) of the rice paper. Use your fingers to softly mold the filling into a rectangular log about 3.5-4 inches long. Using your thumbs, lift the lower edge forward and use your pointer fingers to hold the filling in place. Lift the left and right sides to align with the length of the filling and roll all the way to the end. To prevent the spring roll from ripping, wrap the spring roll with one piece of rice paper using the wrapping process mentioned above. Repeat these steps until all the filling has been used up. This should make about 12-14 spring rolls.
5. On medium heat, add the vegetable oil to a nonstick pan. While the pan is heating up, quickly mix the cornstarch and water to create the cornstarch slurry. If left untouched for more than a couple minutes, the cornstarch will solidify at the bottom but this can be remedied by mixing it again. Brush each spring roll with the cornstarch slurry on all sides. At this point, the oil should be heated throughout. Add the spring rolls to the pan and cook on each side for 4 minutes each (being careful not to let it touch each other). Since this is a rice based wrapper, the spring rolls will not turn golden brown and will be a white color. It should, however, create a very crispy outer layer.
6. Serve with lettuce, mint, basil, and sweet chili sauce. Enjoy immediately.
7. [Sweet Chili Sauce]: In a small saucepan on medium heat, combine the vinegar, sugar, water, sambal oelek, and red chili flakes. Mix the cornstarch and 1 tbsp of water to create a cornstarch slurry. Once the sauce begins to boil, pour the cornstarch slurry. Stir for about a minute until thickened. Allow the sauce to cool completely before storing in an airtight jar for up to one week.