Many people don’t even know that spring roll and egg roll are two different types of food. If you are one of them, then let me clear one thing first, they are not exact. I know both are the same at first sight, but if you are a choosy eater like me, you can easily find the difference between a spring roll and an egg roll. They look the same, but their ingredients, cooking process, and taste are different. Spring rolls originated in Chinese cuisine, but the egg roll is the invention of American- Chinese cuisine. So let’s jump to the main difference between these two popular food items.
What is Spring Roll?
Spring rolls are famous all over the world. But the origin of this dish is in China. It is also known that the pastry came from the Eastern Jin dynasty. From the name, it is also clear that this is food-related to the spring season. Yes, at that time people wanted to eat spring vegetables with cake. And you know about the Chinese New Year. It is also in the spring. So making the spring roll for your family in the spring is a daily routine and a tradition. That is why it’s named after spring vegetables. But now this role is also made with meat like chicken, pork and even duck. But if you are a vegetarian, you don’t need to add any meat.
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Variation of spring roll all over the country:
Yes. You can find another type of spring roll all over the world. But their main and barely some ingredients are different from the authentic spring roll, as the Thai and Vietnam ones. They are also famous for their Chinese spring rolls. But they use rice paper instead of wheat wrappers.
For this reason, the preparation of the roll is different. You don’t need to cook the rice paper, and you need to soak it in the water for a couple of hours or until it gets softened. These versions mainly use rice noodles, cooked shrimp, and raw vegetables like carrot, bit root, fresh herbs, and peanuts. And this roll is served chill with some side sauce like peanut sauce or simple chili sauce. You can also find “Lumpia,” a Philippine spring roll version. And they use raw cabbage with ground meat like chicken, pork, beef, etc.
What is Egg Roll?
The main ingredient of this roll is the egg. This roll is crunchy outside and chewy inside. That is the main characteristic of any egg roll. You can easily find the egg roll in almost every restaurant worldwide. It’s quite the same as the Chinese spring roll, but the origin is still unclear. Most people think that the egg roll came from American-Chinese cuisine.
The egg roll wrap is one of the main differences from the spring roll. Because for this roll wrap, you need wheat with egg. That means you need an egg in every step of this roll. And you also need to deep fry the roll, which gives the dish a unique look with a crunchy taste.
Variation of Egg roll all over the world:
You also find a different kind of egg roll in the US. And they are also famous for their regional name, like in southwestern egg rolls stuffed with black beans, rice, and corn.
On the other hand, southern side egg rolls are also different because they use cheese with turnip greens and black-eyed peas. So if you like cheesy rolls, don’t forget to try this southern egg roll. You also find a ton of different stuffed egg rolls worldwide. So if you want to make this roll at your home, you can also use any stuff as your preference.
What Is the Difference Between Spring Rolls and Egg Rolls?
Now, let’s clear your confusion about spring roll and egg roll. The main ingredient of the egg roll is egg, and it’s absent in spring rolls. But there is also some variation in these two dishes. Like:
- Compare outlook and wrapping: For spring roll, the main ingredient of the wrapper is wheat flour. And you also know in many countries they used rice wrappers. Both are kneaded with only water and make as thin a wrap as possible. On the other hand, egg wraps are thicker and doughy than the spring roll. And it needs a wheat flour egg.
- Different in cooking Process: The preparation process of both of the rolls is different. As for spring rolls, if you want to use rice wrap, you need to soak the paper into the water for a couple of hours to soften. After that, you can stuff it with your preference. And for the wheat wrapper, you need to use water in each corner of the wrap for sealing. But for egg wrap, you use egg wash to fix the side. Both roll shapes are the same, cylindrical.
On the other hand, the cooking process is also different for spring rolls and egg rolls. You need to deep fry the egg roll for a couple of minutes. That gives crunchy and bubbly oil outside of the roll. On the other hand, you can fry it or bake it for a regular spring roll. It’s totally up to you. But if you use rice wrap, you can eat this without cooking because you use cooked stuff in the roll. And this kind of roll is mainly served chill with some side sauce.
- Filling: The authentic recipe of the spring roll provides only the fresh spring vegetable. The Thai and Vietnamese versions use cooked shrimp, rice noodles, soy sauce, etc., But the original spring roll recipe doesn’t recommend adding meat. For egg roll, you can use whatever filling you want to use. You can even add cheese into the roll to make it cheesy and rich.
- Compare Health Benefits: I think spring roll is healthier than egg roll for health issues. I know both rolls are stuffed with vegetables. But egg rolls are deep-fried in oil, which is not suitable for your health. So if you are a diet freak, I think spring rolls are the best option for you any time you are hungry.
- The difference in taste: the taste of the spring roll is kind of light, brighter, and refreshing. On the other hand, the egg rolls are savory for meat and chewy. Though it’s deep-fried, it is also crunchy on the outside. If you also add cheese in the egg roll filling, this makes it richer food.
Bottom Line
I try to draw the difference between the egg roll and spring roll. So that you don’t get confused in the restaurant about which one you will order, both dishes are tasty and flavor-packed. You can have it whenever you want. But it tastes better if you eat this with some side sauce like chili sauce or Vietnamese fish sauce. Some people also like the roll with soy sauce. But I think it’s totally up to you.
FAQs
- Is spring roll healthier than egg roll?
Yes. Because you don’t need to fry the spring rolls in the oil. You can bake it or fry it in an air fryer. If you have some rice wrap spring roll, you don’t need to cook it. You can directly eat the roll. On the other hand, egg rolls are meant to be deep-fried. So it’s not healthier than spring rolls.
- Can I switch egg wrap with rice wrap for the spring roll?
No. because the key of the spring roll is its wrap. It is not in the spring roll when you switch the wrap with egg one. You make it an egg roll. The egg wrap is not as thin as the spring one. And that’s why you end up with an egg roll instead of spring roll.
- Can I deep fry the spring roll?
Yes, you can deep fry the spring roll in any vegetable oil.
