Duo Crisp + Air Fryer – Spring Rolls with Nuoc Cham
A sweet, sour, salty, savory, and spicy dipping sauce, nuoc cham is the perfect partner for crispy spring rolls filled with a rich blend of ground pork, shiitake mushrooms, cabbage, and carrots. Experiment with the filling ingredients to suit your taste, but be sure to remove any excess moisture with paper towels so the wrappers won’t get soggy. Purchase frozen spring roll wrappers made with wheat, not the rice wrappers used for summer rolls and fresh spring rolls.
Servings Prep Time
4servings 15minutes
Cook Time
18minutes
Servings Prep Time
4servings 15minutes
Cook Time
18minutes
Ingredients
  • 1tbsp canola oil
  • 1 shallotminced
  • 2 garlic clovesminced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2lb ground pork225 g
  • 1tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 1/2cups chopped napa cabbage4 1/2 oz/130 g
  • 1/2cup shredded carrots1 3/4 oz/50 g
  • 2oz fresh shiitake mushrooms or rehydrated dried shiitake mushroomsstemmed and caps diced, 60 g
  • 2tsp fish sauce
  • 2tsp sugar
  • 10 square frozen spring roll wrappersmade with wheat flour, thawed, 8-inch/20-cm
  • 2tbsp toasted sesame oil
FOR THE NUOC CHAM
  • 1/2cup warm water120 ml
  • 3tbsp fresh lime juiceplus more as needed
  • 2tbsp sugarplus more as needed
  • 2tsp rice vinegar
  • 3tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 or 2 red Thai or small serrano chilesseeded, if desired, and thinly sliced
  • 1 garlic cloveminced
  • 1 or 2 red Thai or small serrano chilesseeded, if desired, and thinly sliced
  • 1 garlic cloveminced
Instructions
  1. Select Sauté on the Instant Pot, press Start, and heat the oil. Add the shallot, garlic, and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the ground pork and 1 tsp of the soy sauce and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until the pork has started to release some fat, 2–3 minutes. Add the cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, fish sauce, sugar, the remaining 2 tsp soy sauce, and 1/2 tsp salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has wilted and the pork is cooked through, 3–4 minutes. Press the Cancel button to reset the program.
  2. Transfer the pork mixture to a paper towel–lined plate. Wipe out or rinse the pot.
  3. Fill a small bowl with cool water. Working with 1 spring roll wrapper at a time, place it on a work surface positioned in a diamond shape (cover the other wrappers with a damp cloth so they won’t dry out). Spread 1/4 cup of the pork filling in a horizontal line on the lower third of the wrapper, leaving at least a 1/2-inch (12-mm) border around the filling. Dip your finger in the bowl of water and moisten the edges of the wrapper. Fold the bottom corner over the filling, encasing it. Fold in the left and right corners toward the center and roll the wrapper away from you into a tight cylinder. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
  4. Insert the air fryer basket into the Instant Pot. Working in batches, brush the spring rolls generously with the sesame oil and arrange a single layer of rolls in the Instant Pot air fryer basket, making sure they don’t touch. Insert the basket into the pot and attach the air fryer lid. Press the Air Fry button and set the cook time for 8 minutes at 400°F (200°C), then press Start. Cook undisturbed.
  5. Meanwhile, make the nuoc cham: In a small bowl, stir together the warm water, lime juice, sugar, and vinegar. Add the fish sauce, chiles, and garlic and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning with lime juice and sugar if needed.
  6. When the cooking time is up, the spring rolls should be light golden brown and slightly darker golden brown on the ends. If a darker color is desired, cook for 2 minutes longer. Use tongs to carefully transfer the spring rolls to a plate. Repeat to cook the remaining batches. Serve with the nuoc cham alongside for dipping.