Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce
Roll out the red carpet and the rice paper wraps for these Southeast Asian-inspired spring rolls. Perfect for pretty party hors d’oeuvres or a light, healthy lunch. Julienned mangoes make an excellent addition, as do small cooked, peeled shrimp.
- Prep time: 1 hour
- Makes: 8 spring rolls
Ingredients
Spring rolls
1-inch (2.5-cm) bundle dry rice vermicelli noodles, about 1½ oz (45 g) |
1 tsp (5 mL) dark sesame oil |
8 round rice paper wraps |
1 mini unpeeled cucumber |
1 medium carrot |
½ red pepper |
1 small ripe mango, optional |
3 tbsp (45 mL) each fresh cilantro and mint, coarsely chopped |
3 tbsp (45 mL) unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped |
4 Boston lettuce leaves |
Peanut sauce
½ cup (125 mL) peanut butter |
3 tbsp (45 mL) hoisin sauce |
2 tbsp (30 mL) lime juice |
1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 mL) hot chili garlic sauce |
Directions
Place noodles in a large bowl. Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Pour boiling water on noodles and leave to soak, stirring once, until softened, about 2 minutes. Drain, then rinse under cold water until noodles are cold. Drain completely and squeeze dry. Toss with sesame oil; set aside.
Prepare your ingredients before soaking rice wraps. Cut cucumber in half lengthwise, then crosswise. Then cut each half into thin julienned (matchstick-thick) pieces. Repeat with carrot, red pepper and mango, cutting about the same size. You should have about the same amount of each ingredient. In a bowl, stir herbs and peanuts together.
Prepare peanut sauce by stirring all ingredients together and adjusting the amount of chili garlic sauce to suit your preferred spice level. For a thinner sauce, mix in a bit of water.
Fill a pie plate or shallow bowl with about 1 inch (2.5 cm) hot water. Lay a sheet of parchment paper beside pie plate. Working with one rice paper wrap at a time, place in hot water for 15 to 25 seconds. It should be just pliable.
Place wet rice paper wrap on parchment paper. Immediately lay half a lettuce leaf on bottom third of wrap, leaving about a 1-inch (2.5-cm) border. Lay a thin row of noodles on lettuce leaf. Top with a row of each vegetable and mango. Sprinkle with peanut mixture.
Fold lower edge of wrap over filling, then wrap sides over filling (like a burrito wrap). Continue to tightly roll wrap to completely enclose filling. Remove to a tray and place seam side down. Repeat with remaining wraps and filling.
If not serving right away, lay barely damp paper towels over spring rolls and wrap very tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 8 hours. Just before serving, slice each roll on the diagonal. Arrange on a platter and serve with peanut sauce.
Nutrition
Per serving: 200 calories, 11 g fat (2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 210 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 2 g fibre, 4 g sugars, 6 g protein