Super quick and easy crispy rice roll (Cheung Fun) snack slathered with a spicy hoisin sauce drizzled with a toasted maple sesame sauce - Chinese street food style!
When it comes to Chinese rice rolls (cheung fun), I usually only associate it with breakfasts and it's almost always steamed - not to say you can't have these crispy rice rolls (cheung fun) for breakfast because I do all the time, so I won't judge 😉 but if you follow along with with me lately you'll notice that I have a thing for crispy foods, so I'm sure you know where I am going with this.
We won't be following traditions today. Today we will be drowning our crispy rice noodle rolls in sweet, spicy and creamy sauces - Hong Kong street food style! 😀
INGREDIENTS
This recipe is meant to be super easy and hassle free, something to hit that snacky craving quickly, so it wouldn't make sense for us to steam our own rice rolls to make this dish so for this recipe, use pre-made rice rolls from the Asian grocery stores. They are usually found in the refrigerator section by the tofu and fresh noodles.
For this recipe, you can substitute maple syrup with honey if it is easier to find.
If you cannot find Chinese sesame paste, you can substitute it with natural unsweeted peanut butter (the type without thickeners), with ½ teaspoon of sesame oil.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Lightning Quick Way to Crispy It Up (Optional)
Nuke it for 20 seconds, seriously - that's all it takes.
I find it easier to cut the Chinese rice rolls into smaller pieces when they are straight from the fridge and still cold. Once it's cut up, stick it in the microwave and nuke it for about 15-20 seconds to slightly soften it before toasting it in the frying pan.
This is a completely optional step, and the results are pretty much the same if you choose to just crisp it up in the skillet directly from the fridge, this step just shaves off about 1-2 minutes off the crisping time - when you're as impatient as me, that's a lot of time.
Crispy Charred Goodness
The less you touch the rolls while it's toasting in the skillet, the better chance you will get it charred and crispy.
You'll know it's done when the rolls are soft when you press down on them and they have a charred crispy exterior.
The messier the better right? 😀
Crispy Cheung Fun (Rice Noodle Rolls) + Spicy Hoisin & Maple Sesame Sauce
Recipe Notes
- Try not to touch or flip them too often when they are toasting. It will give it a better chance to char and brown
- Do not substitute Chinese toasted sesame paste with tahini - it does not taste the same. You can substitute sesame paste with natural unsweetened peanut butter (the type without thickeners) and ½ teaspoon of sesame oil.
Ingredients
- 1 package pre-made rice noodle rolls (approximately 12 rolls)
Spicy Hoisin
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, for a spicier sauce)
Maple Sesame Paste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (can be substituted with honey)
- 2 tablespoons sesame paste (chinese sesame paste, not tahini, see notes)
- 1 tablespoon oil (light oils like vegetable, corn or canola oils)
Garnishes & Toppings (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1-2 stalks green onions (finely chopped)
- Lao Gan Ma chili crisp oil - This stuff is seriously AMAZING with this recipe.
Instructions
Making the Sauces
- Make the spicy hoisin sauce by combining the ingredients in the list
- Make the maple sesame sauce by combining the ingredients in the list. If the sauce is too thick, add a flavourless oil (canola, vegetable, corn oil) ½ tablespoon at a time and mix until it is the right smooth and thin consistency you like.
Crisping the Rice Noodle Rolls (Cheung Fun)
- Remove the rolls from the packaging and separate them into individual sticks. Cut them into small 1 inch pieces.
- (Optional Step) Microwave them for 15-20 seconds to soften them up. This will shave off 1-2 minutes off the crisping time in the frying pan.
- Add a bit of oil into a frying pan or cast iron skillet and set the heat to medium heat
- When the pan is hot, add the rolls and toast them in a single layer so they don't stick and clump together
- Make sure to flip them so they are crispy on both sides
- Every stove and heat setting will be different, you will know it's done when it is soft when you press down on them and charred and crispy out the outside
- Drizzle (or drown) the rolls with sauce and enjoy! Save some sauce on the side for dipping!
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*
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Tineke says
Thank you for the inspiration! My mom bought me some, and I wasn’t sure how to cook it. I only had it steamed at dim sum in the restaurants; never had this pan fried before. Super yummy!
My only problem was some of the char stuck to my pan. 🙁 maybe I should use a more seasoned pan next time
Joyce says
Hi Tineke,
I'm so happy that I could help! I used to eat this a lot whenever my parents bought me a pack of rice noodle rolls, but I would microwave it! haha 🙂 So I decided to switch it up this time and make it crispy!
The rice noodle rolls are tricky, they love sticking to the pan unless you use a non-stick skillet or a lot of oil. Don't worry it happens to me as well.
Stan says
Awesome but where do i get rice rolls? Any recommendations?
Joyce says
Hi Stan,
I usually get the rice rolls at an Asian grocery store. They are in the refrigerator (by the fresh tofu and soy milk maybe?) since they are somewhat fresh. Hope this helps! 🙂
Joyce
heather (delicious not gorgeous) says
AHHHH I LOVE THIS STUFF. i used to beg my parents to buy it from the market, and then they'd pan-fry some up for lunch and serve it with chili garlic sauce and hoisin sauce. agh i need to buy some asap!