I love spring rolls but for some reason I had always feared the sticky rice paper and been too scared to make them myself. All that has changed thankfully. A good friend and I recently attended a cooking class and spring rolls were on the list of dishes to make. I have always recognized that the ingredients are simple, but I have had negative experiences with rice noodles in the past and I thought that getting that rice paper wet would leave me with a sloppy clump of frustration. Much to my surprise, rice paper is relatively easy to work with and even if minor tears do occur, it all gets rolled up anyway!
So to make fresh spring rolls, you can basically just choose the vegetables (sprouts, lettuce, peppers, carrots, etc.), protein (tofu, shrimp, chicken, pork, etc.) herbs (basil, mint, cilantro) that you like and you could even stuff in some rice or rice noodles in if you would like. The ingredients you choose need to be sliced very thin.
Let me tell you about rice paper in case it causes you anxiety like it did for me. The rice paper may be kept in the produce section of your grocery stores by wonton wrappers and other specialty ingredients. Each sheet is very thin and somewhat brittle. To soften the rice paper, all you need to do is put some hot (not warm) water in a large shallow bowl and place one sheet of rice paper at a time into the bowl until it is soft and pliable (just a few seconds).
Once the paper is pliable lay it out on your work surface (I used a plastic cutting board). Now let’s think of the rice paper as a clock face. Line up your thinly sliced vegetables and protein at 6:00. Then sprinkle your herbs around the rest of the clock.
Now for the folds. First, fold 3:00 and 9:00 sides of the rice paper in toward each other.
Next, begin folding at 6:00 and roll up to meet 12:00.
That’s it! Wasn’t that easy sweet teeth?? Now for a super simple and delish dipping sauce, mix soy sauce, sweet chili sauce and sriracha (or garlic chili paste).
Ok, so now you have a fabulous appetizer. May I suggest this Shrimp Pad Thai for your entrée? (recipe from Bake Your Day) It is the best Pad Thai I have made at home. (In the photo below, I did not have rice noodles on hand, so I used whole wheat spaghetti which works great too. And I prefer to double the sauce in the recipe).
Get the Pad Thai recipe here
Fresh Spring Rolls
Keywords: appetizer low-carb vegetables seafood Thai
Ingredients
For the rolls
- 1 package rice paper
- raw sliced vegetables of your choice (slice them thin!)
- cooked protein of your choice (sliced thin; shrimp butterflied and sliced in half lengthwise)
- fresh herbs of your choiced, minced
- hot water
For the dipping sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 tsp sriracha (more or less depending how spicy you would like it)
Instructions
For the rolls
*NOTE* I hesitate to tell you an amount for the vegetables, protein and herbs because it depends how many rolls you want to make, but you will probably use less that a 1/4 cup of ingredients total for each roll. I would recommend slicing more than you think you will need, putting the rolls together as you wish and then using the extras in another dish if you end up with them. This is about having freedom and creativity and who can complain about pre-sliced veggies and protein? It will make your next meal easier, I hope!
Fill large shallow bowl halfway with hot water. Place rice paper (one at a time) into the water until soft and pliable.
Place the softened rice paper onto a work surface (plastic cutting board). Remember, think of the paper as a clock face and then line up your thinly sliced vegetables and protein at 6:00. Then sprinkle your herbs around the rest of the clock.
Fold 3:00 and 9:00 sides of the rice paper in toward each other. Then, begin folding at 6:00 and roll up to meet 12:00. (You can store the spring rolls for 4 hours in the refrigerator if you simply rub them lightly with oil and cover with a wet paper towel.
For the sauce
Mix all ingredients and serve with spring rolls.
