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–+ servings

Harumaki (Japanese Spring Roll)

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Cooling time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 10 Spring rolls

Ingredients 
 

  • 150 g pork belly roughly chopped, or shoulder/ground pork
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 150 g green cabbage shredded about 1cm thick
  • 2 tbsp sake
  • 300 ml chicken bouillon
  • 30 g Japanese leek (naganegi) finely diced, or regular leek/scallion
  • 10 g ginger root finely diced
  • 60 g fresh shiitake mushroom thinly sliced
  • 30 g carrot julienned
  • 30 g bell pepper julienned
  • 50 g canned bamboo shoots julienned
  • ½ tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
  • ½ tbsp oyster sauce
  • ½ tbsp sugar
  • 30 g thin glass noodles (harusame) dry
  • 1 tbsp cold water for slurry
  • 1 tsp cornstarch for slurry, or potato starch
  • 10 sheets square spring roll wrappers
  • 2 tbsp cold water for paste
  • 1 tbsp all-purpose flour for paste
  • cooking oil for shallow frying

Instructions 

Spring Roll Filling

  • Roughly chop 150 g pork belly and place it in a bowl with 1 pinch salt and pepper and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil. Mix well and set aside.
    roughly diced pork in a mixing bowl with salt, pepper and sesame oil
  • Heat up a pan (that has a lid) on medium with a drizzle of oil. Add 150 g green cabbage. When it starts to soften, add 2 tbsp sake and 300 ml chicken bouillon. Cover with a lid and steam for 3 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.
    shredded cabbage cooking with sake and chicken stock
  • Heat a large pan or wok over medium-low with a thin layer of oil. Add the pork and fry until seared all over and lightly browned.
    sealing the pork in a wok
  • Add 30 g Japanese leek (naganegi) and 10 g ginger root (finely diced), and fry until fragrant.
    stir frying pork with fresh ginger and green onion
  • Increase the heat to medium-high and add the julienned vegetables (60 g fresh shiitake mushroom, 30 g carrot, 30 g bell pepper and 50 g canned bamboo shoots). Stir fry for about 3 minutes or until tender crisp.
    frying pork with julienned carrot, shiitake and bell peppers
  • Add ½ tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), ½ tbsp oyster sauce and ½ tbsp sugar to the pan and mix well, then pour in the contents of the other pan (cabbage and chicken stock).
    adding cabbage and chicken stock to harumaki filling
  • Submerge 30 g thin glass noodles (harusame) into the chicken stock and simmer until softened. Make a slurry by mixing 1 tbsp cold water and 1 tsp cornstarch in a small bowl. Pour it into the pan and simmer until thickened and glossy.
    complete harumaki filling
  • Remove from the heat and transfer to a wide container to cool (about 20-30 minutes).
    harumaki filling cooling in a metal container
  • When it's cool enough to touch, cut the glass noodles with scissors so that they are 5-10cm in length. (This is only necessary if your glass noodles are long.) Chill in the refrigerator until you're ready to assemble.
    cutting noodles in harumaki filling with scissors

How to roll

  • Divide the filling into portions equal to the number of wrappers (10 sheets square spring roll wrappers).
    dividing harumaki filling into 10 equal portions
  • Add 2 tbsp cold water and 1 tbsp all-purpose flour to a small bowl and mix until smooth to make a "glue". Position the wrapper on a flat surface in front of you at a 45-degree angle so it looks like a diamond.
    harumaki skin positioned so it looks like a diamond next to a small bowl of flour and water
  • Spread a portion of filling horizontally just below the center, making sure not to let it get too close to the edges.
    placing harumaki filling on spring roll wrapper
  • Tightly pull the bottom corner over the filling and wrap it snugly over the top.
    gif to show how to roll harumaki
  • Bring the left and right corners over the center and press the edges down to secure them.
    gif showing folding the edges of the spring roll wrapper to make a parcel
  • Roll it up, leaving the point at the top.
    rolling harumaki (spring roll) up with the edges folded over
  • Wet the top edges of the point with the water/flour mixture and finish the roll. Press down to secure.
    Sealing the top of Japanese spring roll with a paste made with flour and water, then pressing to secure.
  • Repeat until all the wrappers and filling are used up.
    rolled uncooked harumaki stacked in a metal container

Fry

  • Take a pan and add 2cm (1 inch) of cooking oil. Heat to 160 °C (320 °F) and add the spring rolls with the sealed side facing down.
    3 harumaki shallow frying in a wok
  • Cook for a few minutes until golden and then flip and repeat on the other side. (The filling is already cooked, so the main purpose is to make it golden and crispy.)
    crispy golden harumaki frying in a wok
  • Rest on a wire wrack for a few minutes to drain the excess oil.
    5 golden crispy harumaki draining on a wire rack
  • Serve with soy sauce and Japanese mustard, and enjoy!
    3 harumaki (Japanese spring rolls) stacked on a blue plate next to soy sauce in a dipping bowl and a tube of Japanese mustard (karashi)

Notes

The two-pan cabbage method is intentional: steaming cabbage first lets you control how much liquid ends up in the filling, which is key for no-burst, crisp harumaki.
Most wrappers have a smooth and rough side. Put the smooth side outside for more even browning and a cleaner finish.
Your filling should look thick and glossy, not soupy. Thin liquid is the #1 cause of wrapper leaks and steam blowouts.
Glass noodles aren't just "bulk." They act like a moisture buffer by soaking up broth, helping the filling stay cohesive instead of watery.
Color cue: pull rolls when they're a shade lighter than "perfect." Carryover heat deepens the color on the rack, while going too dark can taste bitter.
Storage & Meal Prep: Fridge cooked harumaki airtight (paper towel-lined) up to 1 day. For make-ahead, prep and fully cool the filling up to 2 days and roll/fry just before serving (unfried rolls freeze up to 1 month, fry from frozen-no thaw).
Serving Ideas: Japanese Cucumber Salad, Traditional Miso Soup, Steamed Japanese Rice, Chilled Tofu (Hiyayakko)