If you find spring rolls in the fridge section, or marketed as appetizers for parties, they’re usually kinda expensive. But we’ve found frozen vegetarian spring rolls which are pretty cheap—sometimes in specialty Asian grocery stores but sometimes at the local grocery store. The secret is to buy the cheap frozen vegetarian spring rolls even if the box claims you need to deep fry them. You don’t need to. We promise.

Cooking instructions are basically the same as making frozen French Fries from a bag.

Core Ingredients

• Frozen spring rolls

• Oil

Preparation I: Spring Rolls in a Frying Pan You need to stand near the frying pan as it cooks and pay some attention. If you don’t stir occasionally, the bottom of the spring rolls will burn before the tops cook at all.

• Add oil to the frying pan.

• Add spring rolls to the frying pan.

• Cook on low or medium.

• Occasionally flip the spring rolls so both sides get crispy. It takes about 10 minutes.

• When it achieves desired crispiness levels, turn off the stove and put the spring rolls on a plate.

Preparation II: Spring Rolls in the Oven

• Put the spring rolls in a pan or on a baking sheet with raised edges.

• Pour a bit of oil over the spring rolls. Use your hand to mix the oil and

THE SAD BASTARD COOKBOOK
the spring rolls on the pan so they all get some.

• Bake spring rolls at 350°F or 175°C.

• Halfway through cooking, take them out of the oven and stir so both sides get cooked. It’ll probably take 15–25ish minutes to cook them, so maybe flip at the 10 minute mark? Set a timer so you don’t forget.*

• When they have reached the desired crispiness level, eat.

Preparation III: Spring Rolls in the Microwave They will not get crunchy in the microwave, but they will get hot, and they contain the same nutrients regardless.

• Put spring rolls on a plate.

• Microwave until no longer frozen.

Spring rolls are delicious on their own, or with a dipping sauce. Plum sauce is a classic. They also pair well with Fried Rice.

• A UK-based recipe tester informed us that the brand Tiger Tiger: Tsingtao Spring Rolls are both cheap and delicious. In their oven, those spring rolls took 25 minutes to cook from frozen. Unfortunately, as their oven is, and we quote, “pretty terrible,” we have no idea what temperature they cooked at. Extrapolate at your peril.