Sandi is blogging from the WhistleStop Cafe kitchen. It's all about good home cooking; food, family and fun. Thousands of posts . . .

~In the south and around the world.



Friday, January 12, 2007

Spring Rolls

One of my New Year's promises was to eat more sushi. Really there are a lot of things I like... but I have steered away from 'serious' sushi. If you have ever been deep sea fishing and then watched the deck boys clean the fish on the docks at the Orange Beach marina~ that would steer anyone away from raw fish!

Spring rolls~or veggie rolls~ are a sushi type appetizer I love. They are fun and easy to make. It is one of those dishes that you can add a pinch of this and a pinch of that... what ever you have on hand. The rice wrappers are pretty easy to find at an Asian food store and store well in the pantry until you are ready to use them. This time I just used veggies, but I also like using cooked shrimp, squash, or avocados. It does take a little practice to get them rolled perfectly~ give it a try!

Spring Rolls
8 rice wrappers
8 large shrimp
1 cucumber, julienned
1 carrot, shredded
1/4 cup bean sprouts
3 Tbs fresh basil
3 Tbs fresh mint
3 Tbs fresh cilantro
Prep by dicing shrimp, shredding veggies and chopping fresh herb leaves; set aside. Fill a large pyrex dish filled with hot water. Lay each rice wrapper into the dish of hot water to soften. Gently lay on a flat surface. Fill with veggies, bean sprouts, and herbs leaving generous edges. Fold in both square angles, then roll tightly from one angle to the other. Store in the refrigerator covered with a damp paper towel until ready to serve. Serve with our Thai Peanut Dip or a store bought ginger dip.







Peanut Dip
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
2 Tbs soy sauce
4 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup hot water
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp sugar
hot sauce to taste
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, wisk until well blended. Serve at room temp. For thicker dip add less water.
We have often made a meal of just these spring rolls. They are so light, and packed with flavor. The best part is how fun they can be to make~ get your friends together and make a mess of them.
Try it y'all!
Sandi

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

The first time I did these I was flabbergasted at how easy they were and how wonderfully good to eat!!! I've always had a hard time folding them: your pictures are very helpful. The peanut sauce is a real winner on them.

Rachel Rubin said...

Good Job! I have not tried spring rolls yet because they seem so hard.

Unknown said...

One of my kitchen goals this year is to make these! I first tasted them is Chicago and LOVE them. Glad to see it can be done...and easily.

janelle said...

Oh yummy peanut sauce!

I love tackling new cuisines and new techniques! You should have seen the fresh pasta a attempted this year: what a fun disaster! Loved it!

Roo said...

Sandi - thanks for the comments on my kitchen, I'll let you know what it looks like when we have it rebuilt

Anonymous said...

My son was the photographer...and the tester. I was glad to see the pictures turned out without peanut butter prints.
Y'all let me know how your spring rolls are!

Anonymous said...

I love spring rolls! I've never made them myself, but I order them whenever I see them on a menu. They look tricky to roll, but your's look excellent!

Rachel Rubin said...

tag!

Brilynn said...

My downfall in making springrolls is always trying to stuff waaaay too much into them, thus making it impossible to close.

Anonymous said...

This is a great article. Thanks for the clear step-by-step. The photographs are great, too!!

Anonymous said...

Natalia~ I hope you give these a try, it is as easy as rolling socks.
Brilynn~ I have the very same problem with burritos!
Josh~ WooHoo! That is a compliment coming from YOU. thanks, Sandi

Kirsten said...

I ADORE spring rolls. You reminded me to make more soon!

Related Posts with Thumbnails