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Japanese-style spring rolls, or harumaki, are filled with meat, veggies, mushrooms, and a savory sauce.
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Harumaki (Japanese Spring Rolls)

With a crisp shell holding a molten filling of pork, vegetables, and mushrooms, Harumaki (春巻き), or Japanese spring rolls are a delightful Japanese-Chinese appetizer that's a favorite here in Japan.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Chinese, Japanese
Keyword deep-fried, party food
Level Beginner
Main Ingredient Pork
Diet Dairy-Free, Low Sugar
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Cooling time 20 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 10 spring rolls
Calories 138kcal
Author Marc Matsumoto

Equipment

Ingredients

For Harumaki filling

  • 150 grams ground pork
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon mirin
  • 2 teaspoons potato starch
  • ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 10 grams ginger (¼-inch knob, minced)
  • 75 grams scallions stems (2-3 stems minced)
  • 175 grams cabbage (3-4 leaves, shredded)
  • 50 grams carrots (⅓ carrot, julienned)
  • 50 grams shiitake (2 large mushrooms, chopped)
  • 100 grams bamboo shoots (1 small can, julienned)
  • 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon potato starch
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • Salt (to taste, I used ¼ teaspoon)

For Harumaki

  • 10 spring roll wrappers
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • vegetable oil (for deep-frying)
Grams + US Cups - US Standard

Instructions

  • Marinate the 150 grams ground pork by mixing it with the 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon mirin, 2 teaspoons potato starch, and ⅛ teaspoon white pepper until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
    150 grams ground pork, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon mirin, 2 teaspoons potato starch, ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
    Marinating ground pork with soy sauce and mirin for Japanese-style spring rolls.
  • In a separate bowl, mix the 1 cup low sodium chicken stock, 1 tablespoon potato starch, and 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil.
    1 cup low sodium chicken stock, 1 tablespoon potato starch, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
    Mixing chicken stock with sesame oil and potato starch to the make the sauce for Harumaki.
  • Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 10 grams ginger, and 75 grams scallions stems and sauté for about two minutes until the aromatics are fragrant.
    1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 10 grams ginger, 75 grams scallions stems
    Sautéing ginger and scallion stems in a frying pan to make the filling for Harumaki.
  • Add the 175 grams cabbage, 50 grams carrots, 50 grams shiitake and 100 grams bamboo shoots to the pan and stir-fry the mixture until they're cooked through (about 3 minutes).
    175 grams cabbage, 50 grams carrots, 50 grams shiitake, 100 grams bamboo shoots
    Shredded cabbage, carrots, mushrooms and bamboo for making Japanese-style spring rolls.
  • Make space in the center of the pan by pushing the veggies to the sides. Add the pork and use a spatula to break it up into small crumbs. When the ground meat is no longer one mass, stir-fry it together with the vegetables until the pork is mostly cooked through.
    Vegetables and meat stir-frying for making Japanese spring rolls.
  • Stir the chicken stock mixture and pour it into the pan. Stir everything together until the pork is fully cooked. Give it a taste and add Salt as needed to season (I added ¼ teaspoon).
    Salt
    Tasting Japanese spring roll filling from a frying pan.
  • The filling needs to cool before you can stuff the Harumaki, and you can speed this up by spreading the mixture in a metal tray and floating it in a cold water bath.
    Cooling spring roll filling in a water bath.
  • While the filling cools, mix the 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon water to make a smooth "glue" that you're going to use to seal the rolls shut. Separate the 10 spring roll wrappers and keep them covered with a damp towel to keep them from drying out and getting brittle.
    1 tablespoon flour, 1 tablespoon water, 10 spring roll wrappers
    Preparing flour glue for sealing spring rolls shut.
  • After the filling has cooled to room temperature, I recommend using a tool such as a bench scraper or chopstick to divide the filling into 10 even segments.
    Divided spring roll filling.
  • To assemble the Harumaki, place a wrapper with a corner pointing towards you. Add one segment of filling to the middle of the lower half of the wrapper.
    Spring roll filling on a spring roll wrapper.
  • Roll the corner closest to you, up and over the filling, and then continue rolling until you reach the halfway point.
    Rolling spring roll wrapper over spring roll filling.
  • Fold the two flaps on either side of the filling towards the center.
    Rolling Harumaki.
  • Spread some of the flour glue onto the wrapper's top edges and then loosely finish rolling the Harumaki. I usually put the tips of two fingers into either end of the roll as I roll it.
    How to roll Japanese spring rolls so they don't burst.
  • Line a bowl or wide cup with 3 sheets of paper towels. This will be used to drain the spring rolls in an upright position, so you want something that's deep enough to hold the rolls standing up but wide enough that the rolls aren't overcrowded.
  • Heat a heavy-bottomed pot filled with 1.5-inches of vegetable oil to 360 degrees F (180 C) and fry the rolls in batches. They will float, so you need to continue rolling them over so they brown evenly. When the wrapper is crisp, transfer the rolls to the prepared bowl and drain them for a minute before serving them.
    vegetable oil
    Deep-frying Harumaki (Japanese spring rolls) in oil.
  • Be careful when you eat them as the center is going to be scorching hot.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 138kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 248mg | Potassium: 189mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 932IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg