FRESH SPRING ROLLS & PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE

Total Time: 45 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

Ingredients - Spring Rolls:

• 1 ounce Vermicelli Rice Noodles
• 8 Rice Papers (maybe 1 extra to practice)
• 1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
•  1/2 cup thinly sliced red Cabbage
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced Carrot
• 1/2 cup thinly slice Cucumber 
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced Red Pepper
• 1/2 cup thinly slice Butter Lettuce 
• 8 Fresh mint leaves

These are my choices - you can create your own combinations (see below for ideas)

 Ingredients - Peanut Sauce:

• 1/3 cup Peanut Butter (clean - not added oils)
• 1 TBSP apple cider or rice vinegar
• 1 TBSP maple syrup (or honey)
• 2 TBSP Reduced Sodium Gluten free Tamari
• 1 - 1/2 - or no - Thai red chilli (Spicy - medium-not spicy)
• 2 cloves of garlic - minced

• 2-3 TBSPs as needed (more water the more liquid - go careful)

Method: 

To make the Spring Rolls

•  Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook the rice noodles until al dente according to package instructions - this should take a few minutes once the water is boiling - drain, rinse and run under cool water. Toss the noodles in the sesame oil and set aside
• Prep all vegetables - make sure they are all similar in length - approx 2 -3 inches in length - depending on the size of your rice paper 
• Fill a shallow dish or deep plate wit about 0.5cm of water. Have a clean wooden board ready by the side. 
• Place one rice paper in the water and let it rest for about 20 seconds, give or take - Your will learn to go by feel here. Wait until the sheet is pliable- but not floppy. Carefully lay sit flat on the board (some people use clean tea towels - like a board - but. wipe off the water between each new roll)
• Place a mint leaf right side down in the middle of the paper, then leaving about 1 inch of open rice paper around the edges, place a selection of your thinly chopped assortment into the centre and some of the rice noodles (your first one will always be your experiment ;))
• Fold the lower edge and the upper edge in to enclose the vegetables, and ten roll up tightly like a burrito

• Repeat with the remaining Ingredients 

To make the Peanut Sauce

• If using the fresh chilli pepper it's best to put all ingredients into a high speed blender and whiz! Add the water sparingly to the desired consistency 
• If you are not using the fish chilli you can add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk in the water gently

To Serve:

• Serve as a started to a main course. - like Pad thai
• Or at a celebration was a great canopy or buffet selection
• Great for a 'cooking' class as people can get involved a they are a little time consuming
• Serve wit wedges of lime
• OTHER GREAT ADDITIONS or REPLACEMENT INGREDIENTS:
  • avocado
  • shrimp
  • cilantro
  • mango
  • bean sprouts
  • radish
  • spring onions

Go wild - create your own !