Spring is just around the corner and these are a perfect first bite of the season. I made them for a party and they held up perfectly. The stored ones for lunch got a little dry. I’d recommend making them fresh or try wrapping them with a damp towel if you’re storing them for tomorrow’s lunch. Enjoy!
Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce
- 4-5 rice paper wraps (the circle ones that you have to rehydrate)
- 1 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- ½ hothouse cucumber, julienned
- 2-3 carrots, julienned
- ¼ head purple cabbage, very thinly sliced
- 1/4 head napa cabbage, very thinly sliced
- large handful baby spinach
- Firm tofu (can be flavored) cut into 1/4″ strips
- fresh cilantro, mint and basil
- You could also add lobster or other meats and rice noodles if desired.
Peanut Sauce
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup water
- 1½ Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- juice of ½ lime
- Put all veggies and herb on a platter for eat assembly.
- Whisk together all Peanut Sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Fill a shallow bowl with warm water.
- Working one at a time, dip a rice paper wrap in warm water until it becomes just pliable, about 10 seconds. (You don’t want the wrapper to fully soften while you’re soaking it; it should still have structure when you pull it from the water and will continue to soften while you apply fillings.)
- Lay wrapper flat on a large clean surface and arrange a small amount of each topping in the center of the bottom-third, beginning with spinach and striving to keep the pokier ingredients (peppers, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots) last, where they will be more protected within the roll.
- Gently bring the bottom of the wrapper up over the ingredients, completing at least one full roll before folding in the left and right sides; continue to roll until fully wrapped. (Roll should be somewhat snug — and yes, it takes a couple of tries to get it right.) Set aside and repeat until all fillings have been used.
- Serve rolls whole or sliced in half (for presentation purposes only) with Peanut Sauce on the side.
- Enjoy!
Scrumptious Bits 