Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (2024)

Table of Contents
Ingredients Steps to Make It Tips Are Japanese spring rolls gluten free? References
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Judy Ung

Judy Ung

Food writer, recipe developer, and blogger who has published hundreds of Japanese home-cooking recipes.

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Updated on 11/29/21

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Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (1)

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Total: 40 mins

Servings: 18to 20 servings

Yield: 18to 20 spring rolls

Every culture has its version of spring rolls, and the Japanese culture is no different. In Japanese, spring rolls are known as harumaki, which literally translates to haru(spring) and maki (roll).

Japanese spring rolls are similar to Chinese spring rolls in that they are filled with vegetables, or a combination of vegetables, meat, andglass noodles (bean threads) wrapped in a thin pastry shell and fried. They differ, however, in that traditional Japanese harumaki tends to omit the use of garlic. This might date back to the origins of Japanese cuisine and a tendency to omit garlic as an ingredient.

Another way in which Japanese spring rolls, or harumaki, tend to differ from Chinese spring rolls is that the filling for harumaki is slightly thickened with potato starch to create a vegetable filling with a texture that is similar to that of a thick gravy. Because the filling is wet, harumakiare best eaten immediately after they are fried.

Japanese harumaki are often enjoyed as a meal-in-itself—served with rice and soup—rather than as an appetizer or finger food. Although the filling and style of harumaki differ from family to family, it is not uncommon to make a fat spring roll with a hearty amount of filling. You might also notice that many Japanese families wrap their harumaki to make a flat, rectangular-shaped spring roll versus the traditional thin and cylindrical spring roll more common in Chinese cuisine.

Give Japanese harumaki a try, and experience for yourself how this differs from spring rolls or egg rolls from other cultures.

Ingredients

  • 6 small to medium dried shiitake mushrooms

  • 1 1/2 cups water, divided

  • 2 1/2 ounces dried glass noodles, also called mung bean threads, potato noodles, or cellophane noodles

  • 1 medium yellow onion

  • 2 green onions

  • 6 to 7napa cabbageleaves

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 cup trimmed carrots, cut into matchsticks

  • 3 cups bean sprouts

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 1 dash freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

  • 1 tablespoon potato starch

  • 1 package thin spring roll wrappers

  • 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, mixed with 2 tablespoons water

  • 2 to 3 cups canola oil, or coconut/canola oil mixture

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (2)

  2. In a bowl, soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in water until they are reconstituted.

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (3)

  3. Squeeze excess water from the mushrooms, remove the stems, and slice. Reserve the soaking liquid.

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (4)

  4. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, add the dried glass noodles and hot water and soak until the noodles are pliable and soft, about 15 minutes.

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (5)

  5. Drain and cut the noodles into pieces of about 3 inches in length. Set aside.

    See Also
    Types and how to use them

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (6)

  6. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Slice the onions and green onions lengthwise to make thin slices.

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (7)

  7. Finely chop napa cabbage leaves, including the white stem. If you prefer, the white stem may be omitted and substituted with additional leaves.

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (8)

  8. In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add yellow onion and cook until translucent.

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (9)

  9. Add the shiitake, glass noodles, green onion, napa cabbage, carrots, and bean sprouts. Season with salt.

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (10)

  10. Sauté for a few minutes then add soy sauce and black pepper. Cook until just tender. Add additional salt to taste.

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (11)

  11. Mix the potato starch with reserved shiitake soaking liquid (for added flavor).

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (12)

  12. Pour the mixture over the vegetables and stir until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat. Let mixture cool.

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (13)

  13. To createthe spring rolls, gently separate the wrappers and place one of the edges in front of you, putting the filling near the edge.

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (14)

  14. Start rolling it up.

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (15)

  15. Once you have rolled about halfway, fold in the sides like an envelope so that the fillings don’t fall out.

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (16)

  16. Use a bit of water and flour as adhesive to seal the edges together before you fry them.

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (17)

  17. Repeat until you have created all of the spring rolls.

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (18)

  18. In a small pot, add the oil and heat over medium-high heat. Fry 2 to 3 harumaki at a time, about 30 to 40 seconds on each side, until golden brown. The filling is already cooked, so it's just a matter of frying the wrappers.

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (19)

  19. Repeat with the remaining rolls. Drain on a rack or paper towels.

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (20)

  20. Serve immediately while hot. Enjoy!

    Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (21)

Tips

  • The thinner the wrapper, the better. There are several brands of egg roll wrappers that are thick and these will tend to bubble up when fried. Frozen, thin spring roll shells often work best for this recipe. Try experimenting with different wrappers to see what suits your tastes the best.
  • These are best if served on the same day. Reheated harumaki tend to become soggy but arebest if reheated in a dry frying pan over medium heat.
  • Make a mixture ofsoy sauce(shoyu) and hot mustard (karashi) as an optional dipping sauce.

Are Japanese spring rolls gluten free?

Some spring roll wrappers are made of rice paper, and are made using rice flour and water, making them gluten-free. Fried Japanese spring rolls tend to be made using wheat flour-based spring roll or egg roll wrappers, and are not gluten free.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
148Calories
8g Fat
17g Carbs
2g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 18to 20
Amount per serving
Calories148
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g11%
Saturated Fat 1g4%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 126mg5%
Total Carbohydrate 17g6%
Dietary Fiber 1g4%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 4mg22%
Calcium 21mg2%
Iron 1mg4%
Potassium 123mg3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

  • Mushroom
  • appetizer
  • japanese
  • party

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Japanese Vegetable Spring Rolls (Harumaki) as an Appetizer or a Meal (2024)

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