vegan ramen spring rolls (2024)

4.73 from 11 votes

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American, Chinese, Japanese

Keyword: appetizer, ramen, ramen noodles, spring rolls, sweet and sour sauce

Prep Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

tofu bacon

• ▢ 1 x 350 g brick firm tofu
• ▢ ¼ C low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
• ▢ 2 tablespoon maple syrup
• ▢ 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
• ▢ 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

spring rolls

• ▢ 300 g ramen noodles, cooked according to package directions and drained (discard seasoning packs)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon miso paste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ▢ 3 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
• ▢ 2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• ▢ 1 C cilantro, roughly chopped
• ▢ 2 C carrots, fine julienne
• ▢ 2 C purple cabbage, thinly sliced on a mandolin
• ▢ 2 C bean sprouts
• ▢ 1 ½ C frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained
• ▢ 2 to 3 green onions, sliced thinly lengthwise (about 2-inches long)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ 1 tablespoon water
• ▢ 2 packages large size spring roll pastry, defrosted (40 sheets)

pomegranate sweet & sour sauce (makes about 2 cups)

• ▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoon garlic
• ▢ ½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• ▢ 1 C pomegranate juice
• ▢ ⅓ C unseasoned rice vinegar
• ▢ ½ C granulated sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ ½ teaspoon chili flakes
• ▢ 2 tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ 2 tablespoon water

• Make the tofu bacon first, or make it ahead of time. Drain the tofu from the packaging water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut it into spears or thin shoe string pieces. Combine the low-sodium soy sauce or tamari, maple syrup, liquid smoke, and smoked paprika with a whisk in a wide shallow dish. Place tofu in the marinade and set aside for 15 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the tofu slices in an even layer and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway through the bake time. If there is excess marinade you can brush it on the pieces of tofu halfway through baking when flipping the pieces.

• In the meantime, cook the ramen noodles in a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain from the cooking water and do not rinse ramen noodles. In a mixing bowl, combine vegetable oil, miso paste, sesame oil, and low-sodium soy sauce and combine until smooth. Add the cooked ramen noodles and cilantro and toss to evenly coat.

• Set the noodles aside with all of the other pre-cut vegetables and tofu bacon.

• To make the sweet and sour sauce, heat a saucepan over medium-low heat with vegetable oil. Once hot, add garlic and minced ginger. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

• Add pomegranate juice, rice vinegar, sugar, low-sodium soy sauce, sea salt, ground black pepper, and chili flakes and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, which takes about 3 minutes over medium heat. Make a cornstarch slurry by mixing water and cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth.

• Once the sauce comes to a low simmer, whisk in the cornstarch slurry and turn the heat down slightly. Stir and cook for another 3 minutes while whisking constantly until thickened and glossy. You can set it aside while you assemble and deep fry the spring rolls.

• To make the spring rolls, combine cornstarch with water to make a thin slurry. Ensure you've defrosted your spring roll pastry in the fridge overnight. Place the stack of pastry sheets on a plate covered with a damp tea towel and have a clean surface ready to roll the spring rolls on.

• It’s best to use 2 sheets per roll to prevent tearing. Place sheets in front of you in a diamond formation. Add ¼ cup of ramen noodles in the lower third of the corner closest to you. Then add tofu bacon, cabbage, carrot, green onion, bean sprouts, and corn kernels.

• Roll the bottom corner over the filling, gently tucking it underneath and make one full roll over. Then fold each side over and into the center and continue rolling. Wet the top corner with the cornstarch slurry and as you roll it over, smooth it out with a finger so it sticks to the side of the spring roll, sealing it well.

• You can make all the spring rolls and place finished rolls a baking sheet or plate covered with a damp towel in one layer before deep frying.

• When you’re nearly done rolling all the spring rolls, add the 2 to 3 cups of vegetable oil to a heavy-bottomed pot or deep fryer. There should be at least 2 inches of oil to fully submerge the rolls while frying. Heat it to 365°F to 375°F on a deep frying thermometer, or on the dial on your deep fryer.

• Fry spring rolls in batches of 3 to 4 rolls for about 5 minutes until light golden brown. You may need to flip them during the frying time. Remove them with a slotted frying spoon and place onto paper towel on a plate or baking sheet. Continue deep frying in batches, ensuring your oil is at the right temperature before adding the next spring rolls to the oil.

• The spring rolls should remain hot while you fry all of the rolls. Slice them in half and serve immediately with the sweet and sour dipping sauce. They’re best served immediately, but if you have leftovers and you want to reheat these you can place them on a baking sheet and heat through in an oven preheated to 375°F.