Preheat a frying pan until smoking. or heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the pan has a chance to cool down slightly. Add half of the oil, spreading it evenly to coat the bottom of the pan.
Add the spring rolls, spacing them out so they aren’t touching. Slowly brown them over medium low heat. This may take 8-10 minutes. Don’t rush, as it takes time to get that nice golden color. Brush additional oil on them if needed.
Add one tablespoon of water to the pan—without wetting the top of the spring rolls. Cover and cook for a couple of minutes, until there is no visible liquid. The steam from this step ensures the filling is heated.
Remove the cover. Flip the spring rolls to cook the other side, drizzling the rest of the oil into the pan, evenly distributing the oil once more. Slowly brown the spring rolls over medium low heat until golden. As the spring rolls brown, you rest the spring rolls against the sides of the pan to brown the sides of the spring rolls. The curved sides—especially in a nonstick pan—work well to brown the side of the spring rolls.
Lastly, flip the spring rolls over one more time to cook off any leftover moisture on the wrapper (just a couple more minutes). Finally, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and serve!
Notes
See original spring roll recipes for nutritional information. To thaw frozen spring rolls:
Make sure the spring rolls are separated before you start defrosting them. Any spring rolls that may be stuck together can be gently pried apart. Be careful to not crack the wrappers. (However, when pan-frying, any nicks or holes in the spring rolls will not present as much of a problem as they do when deep-frying.)
Prevent your spring rolls from turning soggy by propping them up on a small rack. This prevents water from pooling underneath them as they defrost.
Keep the spring rolls from drying out by covering them with a large overturned mixing bowl. (If they dry out they will crack.)
The spring rolls are done defrosting when, if you lightly squeeze them, they are soft to the touch.