Ready for an effortless way to make your salad portable? Hello spring rolls! Rice paper has this amazing texture like fine vermicelli noodle but its flattened out like a crepe. It isn’t crunchy like a fried egg roll we know so well, instead it is thin and a little gummy…like…..a….noodle. They are neutral and don’t really have much of a taste; it is all about the texture and ease of use on these babies. All the flavors of Southeast Asia are here for you to enjoy. Layered purple crunchy fresh organic cabbage, red bell pepper, cucumber, green onion, mint, cilantro and pickled Bahn Mi veggies with rich red Thai curry cashew cream sauce for dipping it is a divine medley.
This is a sister recipe to my Bahn Mi Collard wrap. As I had these ingredients handy I swapped out the green collard for a spring roll wrapper and nixed the turkey. I did make another variation with the veggies and added precooked shrimp I defrosted quick and man oh man; tasty time. Eat 3 or 4 as a meal or take a whole tray to your next party!
It takes a few tries to master the rice paper and timing. I flubbed a few times on my first go but got the hang of it, good thing is there were over 30 in the package! Follow the directions on what brand you buy and remember these tips;
- All ingredients should be right around your designated station for assembly
- Get water to just boiling but not crazy hot because your fingers are involved here
- Use a large salad bowl for the water needed to soak the rice paper; with the water line just a little over the size you need to dunk the whole paper in at once
- Lay the paper right on top of the water and just put a tiny bit of pressure with your fingers to dunk under quickly
- You only need about 10 to 20 seconds to get the rice paper to a place it will be pliable
- Grab on to the paper with fingertips like you would a steering wheel (at 10 and 2 o’clock) and transfer to a dinner plate; china or glass would be best so they don’t stick (pictured on cutting board- it went better on a plate)
- Put your ingredients in the middle and don’t overstuff or it will break when eating
- On a 10-inch paper go about 5 inches lengthwise and about 2 inches tall on ingredients
- If you use different ingredients in some, like shrimp, tofu or special veggie combinations use the first ingredient you drop in as an identifier so when you are ready to serve that is what you will see first; easy to tell them apart!
Use organic vegetables and ingredients for optimal nutrition
Recipe
1 packet spring roll wrappers (I used 10 inch rounds)
½ head purple cabbage
1 b mint
1 Japanese cucumber
1 b cilantro
1 red bell pepper
1 b green onion
1 c red Thai curry cashew cream sauce
Prepare
- Get veggies ready; shred the cabbage, break up the mint, julienne the red pepper, slice the cucumber on the bias, cut the green onion into thirds, loosely chop the cilantro leaves leaving out the stems. Keep everyone on your cutting board or together on the counter.
- Get a plate to use for wrapping and a second dish to hold your rolls when done. Prepare the rice paper as directed (see my tips in this post) and carefully lay out on the plate one at a time
- Add the veggies layering up, make sure you keep about 2 inches on each side open. Add the cucumber first then a smattering of cabbage, pepper, onion, mint, cilantro and top with the bahn mi veggies.
- Think burrito and start wrapping the from the part closest to you around the mix, fold if in both sides and continue to roll all the way keeping the wrap held tightly together. When done lay cucumber side up on your serving plate. Keep the rolls slightly apart not touching each other.
- Serve with the cashew cream and the pickling liquid from the veggies to dip-a-do!
Tip
- Keep a cup of water close by as if your fingers start to get sticky this will help.
- Use wax paper if you are going to layer on top of each other or they may stick together.
- I did keep a couple overnight in the wax paper and they were great- but for sake of them not drying out I would stick with making them fresh and serving within a couple of hours.
Time 30 minutes
Makes 8-10 rolls