I love a delicious and refreshing spring roll during the summer months. Generally, I purchase them from the sushi section at my favorite supermarket, Mariano’s. But they can be quite expensive for only four rolls. Since I’m trying to watch my budget and I have more time, I decided to try and make them myself.
I grabbed a few items from the fresh veggies section and headed over to my local Asian market to pick up the Rice Paper/Spring Rolls. The great thing about these rolls is you can add any variations on vegetables you choose. The possibilities are endless. I opted for a Vegan version but feel free to add any meat of your liking. If you want my recommendation, I would add shrimp or chicken however I’ve seen others use tofu or even slices of salmon, tuna, or beef.
No matter what you choose, I hope you enjoy these DIY Healthy & Fresh Spring Rolls.
DIY Healthy & Fresh Spring Rolls
Forget store-bought spring rolls learn how to make these delicious fresh spring rolls at home
Ingredients
- 6 Rice Paper
- ½ Avocado matchstick
- ½ cup Purple Cabbage Finely Shredded
- ½ cup Carrots matchstick
- 1 bunch Romaine Lettuce
- ½ Cucumber cut into thin long strips, leave the skin on
Instructions
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Prep all of your filling ingredients. Cut the veggies and gather all the ingredients near you. I like to place these all on a cutting board near my spring roll rolling area.
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Fill a large bowl (Large enough to dip the rice paper in) with lukewarm water.
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Wet the counter in front of you. The wetter the better.
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Do a "test" roll. Dip the rice paper in the water. If using thin rice paper, just a quick dip is all you need. Otherwise, dip for 5-15 seconds. Pull when slightly pliable (not too soft) and place on wet counter. If rice paper still feels stiff, dip your hand in the water bowl and wet the rice paper a little, it will soften up.
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Place a 1/4 leaf of lettuce down first in the front center of the rice paper (to prevent shredded veggies from poking out of rice paper) leaving 2-3 inches of space on the sides.
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Top the leaf with shredded veggies. Then firmly wrap up, tucking in the sides as you go. Place seam side down on a wet cutting board, cover with a damp paper towel.
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Do you like the size? Fill more or less to your preference. (Smaller rolls are good for appetizers, larger for lunch.) Did your roll fall apart? If so, too long soaking time. Adjust the time. If your roll was not pliable enough to roll, then not enough soaking time. Simply adjust. Remember, each rice paper brand is slightly different and this is a “feel” thing.
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Roll each spring roll one at a time. The more you do this, the easier it will get
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Serve over top a lettuce-lined platter (this will prevent them from sticking to the platter) cut in half with room for the sauce. See photos!
Recipe Notes
To store fresh Spring Rolls for later: layer whole ( uncut) spring rolls between damp paper towels (dripping wet and then wrung out) in a large baking dish, not touching. Cover with damp paper towels and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate.
To serve for a gathering, best served within 12- 24 hours. I’ll often make these the morning of an event, store them whole, then cut and platter them right before serving them in the evening.
For home use, these will keep up to 3-4 days!
