~Amanda~
There is nothing better on a hot summer night than cool, refreshing, healthy spring rolls for dinner! They are one of my favorite summer night meals because they don’t require heat to make them and with these 100 degree days we’ve been having, we’re doing everything we can to keep our house nice and cool! Making spring rolls was a little intimidating to me when I first started doing it years ago… the rice paper can get a little sticky and messy and sometimes your rolls don’t really look like rolls at all. But that’s ok! Practice makes perfect and these are so delicious, so you’re going to want to make them all the time and you’ll be a pro in no time… and they’re really not that hard to make either, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it is once you know the proper technique and that’s what I’m going to teach you!
The first step is to prepare the fillings for your spring rolls; one my favorite things about these spring rolls is how colorful and healthy they are and eating vegetables in a variety of colors generally means you’re getting a lot of nutrients (natural colors of course!). There is so much fresh and amazing produce available throughout the summer and I definitely love to take advantage of it as much as possible. There’s the pop of the red bell peppers, the orange carrots, and the greens in the basil, avocado and kale – which our dad and brother grow in the garden for us.
I am also all about adding a protein to my spring rolls when making them for a main course – if you’re just making them as an app you can skip to protein to keep them lighter and smaller. I generally will use some grilled chicken because you can grill it outside, again… we’re trying to keep the house cool here. Other options when it’s not so hot outside are shrimp that I quickly cook in a skillet with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Or if you want to go vegetarian, crispy baked tofu is one of my other favorite additions.
Okay, now onto the assembly – this is where things can get tricky! Start with your rice paper; I usually use two sheets of rice paper per roll, one sheet is very thin and they rip too easily. Stack your sheets on top of each other and dip them into a shallow bowl filled with warm water and let them soak for about 5-10 seconds. Lift them out of the water, shake of any excess water and then place them on a paper towel and lightly pat to dry of any excess water. Then move the rice paper to a clean, dry surface to fill.
Place all your fillings in the center of the rice paper, leaving a few inches on each side open so you can roll them up. If you’re wanting your rolls to look their best, you will want to put the most colorful things down first and then layer on the other items on top (like the rice noodles, because those won’t show at all). Then you will fold in the two sides of the rice paper first. Next, take the end closest to you and flip it up and over the fillings, hold it in place while you roll up the rest of the roll and press down the edges so they seal together. That’s it! You did it! Now onto the other three…
Once you have your rolls done, set them aside to rest for a few minutes while you whip up the amazing sauce… it may just be the best part of the whole meal! Peanut butter is one of my all-time favorite foods and when combined with the sweet maple syrup, salty soy sauce, sharp ginger, and spicy chili powder, it makes the best dipping sauce. It is the perfect pairing for these amazing rolls. A lot of the time I will make extra sauce because Conor and I just can’t get enough of it and we will devour every last drop… even after the spring rolls are long gone! ENJOY!
- 8 rice paper sheets
- 1 cup rice noodles, cooked
- 4, 1/2" strips grilled chicken*
- 1 medium carrot, julienned
- 1/2 cucumber, julienned
- 1/2 bell pepper (any color), julienned
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 8 kale leaves (2 per roll)
- 8 basil leaves (2 per roll)
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (or sub almond butter)
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
- 1/4 cup warm water
- Prepare the chicken, rice noodles, and veggies and lay them out on a plate.
- Take two sheets of rice paper and dip them into warm water. Use your fingers to press the sheets together to make them into one. Lay on a paper towel and pat to remove excess water, then lay on a flat surface.
- Place 1/4 of each of the fillings in the center of the rice paper.
- Fold in each of the sides and then roll up from the bottom to create your roll (don't get frustrated, this takes a few times to master - they are very sticky!)
- Repeat for the three remaining rolls.
- Combine all ingredients together in a bowl using a fork until mostly smooth, aside from the ginger and garlic chunks.
- Add water as necessary to thin (we usually add about 2-3 tablespoons).
- *To make the grilled chicken, season two chicken tenders with chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Grill (or cook in a pan with a little olive oil) and then cut each tender in half to make strips for the rolls.
- *Sub chicken with shrimp if you like or tofu to make this recipe vegetarian.
