Fresh Spring Rolls
I have been making variations of these fresh spring rolls for a while now and this is one of my favorite versions. They are light, refreshing, and really easy to make. They are impressive for appetizers for a dinner party and also perfect for a light lunch or dinner. These are based on Vietnamese spring rolls, but I took my favorite ingredients and mixed them up a bit. I also excluded rice stick noodles and added more veggies for a more filling and notorious take on the original.
Ingredients
Marinade for Shrimp:
1 tbsp ginger, grated (use a microplane)
2 garlic cloves, grated
¼ cup cilantro, minced
1 tsp lime zest
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sambal oelek
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 # shrimp, tails removed
Sautéed Mushrooms:
5 oz assorted mushrooms, thinly sliced (I used shiitake and cremini)
2 scallions, sliced
1 tbsp soy sauce
Other Ingredients:
1 small bell pepper, julienne
½ cup carrots, julienne
1/3 of an English cucumber, julienne
1 ½ cups napa cabbage, shredded
1 small mango, julienne
½ cup whole mint leaves (about 27)
9 rice paper wrappers
Cooking instructions
Combine the ginger, garlic, cilantro, lime zest, soy sauce, fish sauce, sambal oelek, and rice vinegar. Add shrimp and marinate for about 20 minutes.
While the shrimp marinate, heat a sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add your mushrooms and sauté until cooked through about 5-7 minutes. When cooked through and browned, add soy sauce and scallions, toss, and then set aside to cool.
Heat another sauté pan or wok over high heat. Add shrimp and sauté until cooked through about 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, cut the shrimp in half crosswise.
When you’re ready to roll (literally), get a bowl of warm water that is large enough to dip your wrappers in.
Dip your wrapper in the warm water for about 15 seconds. Do not allow the wrapper to get soft. It will still be somewhat firm when you take it out of the water, don’t worry…it’ll soften by the time you’re ready to roll your shrimp.
Lay your moistened rice paper wrapper on a cutting board. Lay 2-3 pieces of mint on the bottom.
You can then layer the rest of your ingredients however you would like. Don’t overstuff with your all the ingredients or else you’re not going to be able to roll up the spring roll.
You’re going to roll up the spring roll like a burrito. Fold the two sides over. Then roll the top part over the filling and continue rolling. (Check out pictures for a better idea of what I’m attempting to verbalize 😉 ).
After you have finished making your springs rolls, line them on a baking sheet or container making sure there is plastic wrap inetween each roll. The rice paper wrapper will get very tacky and the rolls have tendency to stick together and then break apart. Let me hang out in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. Then serve with spicy peanut sauce.
