Known as chun kyin in Cantonese, spring rolls are a Chinese restaurant classic.

While a crowd pleaser for young and old, in Chinese culture they are a symbolic food, eaten during the Lunar New Year as a symbol of prosperity and wealth.

Growing up, my mother made spring rolls for birthday parties and during cultural celebrations. Brimming with mung bean vermicelli, celery and carrot, her spring rolls were, like most of her creations, a work of art, perfectly uniform in size, evenly golden all round, delicately crispy and flaky.

As ubiquitous as spring rolls are, I’ve learnt over the years that not all are created equal.

Many tend to be underfilled, a cardinal sin in my mother’s book — she regards a well-filled spring roll (and dumpling) as a sign of the maker’s generosity. Some fillings are overly mushy, while others are under seasoned and bland.

Spring rolls, like all good food, need to be well balanced in texture and flavour.

In this recipe, the addition of crunchy vegetables like carrot, celery and water chestnuts provides a nice bite to the filling, while mung bean vermicelli, an essential in my book, provides heft, ensuring every mouthful is substantial and satisfying.

These spring rolls are baked and, if I’m being completely honest, I am surprised by how formidably they stand up to their deep-fried counterparts.

Baked at high heat, with just one turn during cooking, they become incredibly crispy and light.

So while I'm not abandoning deep-frying spring rolls for good, baking is an excellent simple alternative that has the advantage of being a hands-off way of cooking.

Hetty McKinnon is a food writer and cookbook author with a passion for vegetables. She has a monthly recipe column with ABC Everyday as well as Hetty's Chinese Takeaway, a six-part vegetarian recipe series, inspired by restaurant classics.

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Meanwhile prepare the sweet chilli sauce by adding all the ingredients into a small saucepan. Heat on medium, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens. Pour into a bowl.

Serve the spring rolls immediately, with the sweet chilli sauce.

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