Fresh Spring Rolls
Made with sweet mangoes, crisp vegetables, tender rice noodles, and the most delicious homemade peanut dipping sauce, these spring rolls make a perfect appetizer or light entrée. Shrimp Optional.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
Peanut Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic pressed or minced
- ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or ½ teaspoon Sriracha sauce
- 2 to 3 tablespoons water as needed
For the spring rolls:
- 1 package spring roll wrappers 8-10 per package
- 2 ounces rice vermicelli
- 8 butter lettuce leaves or any soft lettuce ribs removed, torn into small pieces
- 2 medium mangos peeled and sliced into thin strips
- 1 large red pepper cut into thin strips
- 1 large carrot peeled and shredded or sliced into thin strips
- 1 large English cucumber sliced into thin strips
- 1 cup very thinly sliced red cabbage
- 1 pound small cooked shrimp, deveined, tails removed optional
- 1 small bunch cilantro
- 1 small bunch fresh mint
Instructions
- Prepare the dipping sauce by mixing together ¼ cup creamy peanut butter, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 1 clove garlic (minced) and ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes in a small food processor, blender, or by whisking by hand if needed. If needed, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to thin the sauce to a dipping consistency. Cover and chill until ready to use.
- Prepare Rice Noodles. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the rice vermicelli to the boiling water, turn off the heat and allow the noodles to sit in the hot water, according to package directions. This is about 5-10 minutes depending on the brand. Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water.
- Prepare station for spring rolls by gathering fillings (vegetables, herbs, noodles, mango, and shrimp) and filling a shallow pan (a pie pan or 9″ round cake pan works great) with an inch of warm water. Dampen a lint-free tea towel to use on top of the work station as well.
- Dampen Wrapper. Place one spring roll wrapper in the water for 15-20 seconds, or until JUST pliable but still has some structure. Carefully remove from the water and lay it flat on the towel.
- Assemble Spring Rolls. Leaving about 1 inch of open rice paper around the edges, cover the lower third of the paper with a few pieces of the torn lettuce. Arrange a small handful of rice noodles, some cabbage, a few strips of carrot, cucumber, red pepper, and mango over the center of the lettuce leaf. Top with 2 mint leaves and 2 cilantro leaves. Arrange 3 pieces of shrimp about right above the vegetable/herb filling. Make sure that the pink side of the shrimp is facing down.
- Roll. Grab the lower edge of the rice paper and tightly roll up the spring roll to the shrimp. Once you have reached the shrimp, fold in the left and right sides. Finish rolling up the spring roll all the way to the end.
- Repeat the rolling process with the rest of the ingredients.
- Cut the spring rolls on a diagonal and serve the spring rolls with the dipping sauce.
Video
Notes
Gluten-Free Modification: Use gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce to keep the dipping sauce gluten-free and double check the spring roll wrappers to ensure they are gluten-free (most brands are).
Other Vegetable Options: Use any crisp vegetables/fruit that you like for this recipe. Let your imagination and produce drawer guide you. I have used sugar snap peas, raw summer squash, edamame, asparagus, and broccoli slaw before with great success.
Swap out the Dipping Sauce. Instead of preparing the Peanut Dipping sauce, feel free to serve the Spring Rolls with Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce, Bang Bang Sauce, Chinese hot mustard, or soy sauce for dipping.
Storage: Wrap rolls individually in a damp paper towel, followed by plastic wrap or parchment paper and layer in an airtight container. Store up 24 hours in the refrigerator. The peanut sauce can be stored in a separate airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutritional information is based on 1 spring roll served with 2 tablespoons of sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 148mg | Sodium: 966mg | Potassium: 775mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 7905IU | Vitamin C: 54mg | Calcium: 195mg | Iron: 6mg
