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.
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 cheung fun 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? 😀
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Cuisine:
Print
PinDescription
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!
Ingredients
- 1 package pre-made rice noodle rolls (approximately 12 rolls)
Spicy Hoisin
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons sriracha hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 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)
- 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) 1/2 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!
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.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 432 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 502 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Carbohydrates: 53 g
- Protein: 6 g
Keywords: cheung fun
Disclaimer: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, however I provide these links to make items easier to find if you cannot purchase this locally and I would never recommend anything I don’t own myself or highly recommend. I would prefer you buy your items locally if possible to support your local shops (and chances are they are cheaper locally as well!) 🙂
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
★★★★★
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.
Awesome but where do i get rice rolls? Any recommendations?
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
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!
Interesting…! yummm this looks so delicious and its sauce is too delicious, am so glad reads your recipe, Thanks for sharing…!
Thank you! 🙂
Oh, now you reminded me this Chinese Cheung Fan. Thanks for your recommendations and tips for different kind of sauces. Yes, I agree this is a super fast cooking, doesn’t take you minutes that can ready serve to eat. Yeah !!! THANK YOU.
★★★★★
This is the same type of rice roll as they have at dim sum but a more home style version! Definitely quick to make and I’m very happy to share! 🙂
OMG I just want to dive into the screen! I didn’t know you could fry these rice noodle rolls … they sound absolutely delicious! I’m definitely trying this recipe soon 🙂
★★★★★
Yay! 🙂 Yea it was something dad used to make for me all the time as a kid! 😀
Interesting, I have never heard of these chinese rice rolls. That is very cool:) They look yummy too!
★★★★★
They are usually not very common in Chinese restaurants unless you go to a more snacky joint. 🙂 this ingredient is definitely more common to just buy from the grocery store and make at home. I’m so glad I can share these with you! 🙂
Oh my goodness, my mouth is watering for this. I love that you outlined all of the steps.
★★★★★
I’m so happy about this! 🙂 Even if a recipe is simple, it’s always nice to know all the details right? 🙂
Yum! These look so delicious! I’m with you, I’m all about crunchy! Perfect!
★★★★★
Definitely! 🙂
Thanks for the tips on how to char the rolls. Your photos look awesome, I can seriously hear my stomach growling.
Aw thanks!! 🙂 I definitely think the char is one of the best parts of it since it makes it crispy! 😀