Spring rolls, cold? I know, I may have lost some of you. Spring rolls... especially the specimens you find in most restaurants, are most often golden, warm, and fried. Now, I'm a big fan of those too. They're just not the kinds of things that would be very figure friendly if I were to eat them as frequently as I do my own variation. Mine are admittedly different, but delicious in their own right. The crunch that is lost by not frying the rolls, is replaced by the crunch of the cabbage, carrots, and sprouts. My spring roll is a mix of fresh vegetables, noodles, thin slices of tofu, and a glassy clear rice paper wrapper holding it all together. Assembled, they look like a beautifully wrapped presents... except better because you can see what's inside.
As long as you don't mind turning on the stove for a couple minutes to cook the noodles, there is no other cooking, and aside from chopping up the vegetables the spring rolls come together rather quickly. And if that's not good enough, it's one of those dishes that are best eaten with your hands. A knife and fork always leaves more filling on the plate than I would prefer. If you're in the mood for a satisfying meal that happens to be vegan and healthy too, make these. And as an omnivore, and a lover of all things butter and fat, I can assure you that they are delicious in spite of their deficit of guilt-inducing ingredients. And if you wanted to make them a little less healthy than written, I think a Thai-style peanut sauce would be absolutely fabulous as a dipping sauce instead of the hoisin/sweet chili accompaniments suggested and pictured below. Afterall, you might want something a little heartier on those rainy Seattle nights. It is spring after all...
Spring Rolls
Adapted from every spring roll I've ever eaten
I really almost hate to write this out as a full-blown recipe, with ingredient lists and such. Not so much because I'm lazy, but because the whole process is so versatile and up to personal preference. The rice paper wrappers are the one ingredient that most will have to go to the store and buy. The hoisin sauce and sweet chili sauce are staples in my kitchen (I could probably swim in sweet chili sauce, I love it so), but to those new to these glorious condiments, they are in the Asian section of most grocery stores and a sure thing at any Asian market. Once you have those little wrappers and some things to dip them in, oh boy you will be free to put in them whatever you have in the fridge or pantry. I list a lot of things in the ingredients, but really they are just my favorite inclusions, and the ones I happened to use when making the spring rolls pictured.
Another brief note, the wrappers can take some getting used to when you first work with them. I recommend about 10 seconds in hot water to soften them, but you will get a feel for the consistency that gives flexibility without tearing. Working on a towel like suggested also seems to help. Don't worry if you tear your first few attempts, the package you bought likely came with a ridiculous number of the things anyway.
Prep time: 30 min.
Cook time: 8 min.
Ingredients:
10 spring roll wrapers (I use the 8" ones)
2 carrots, peeled and in thin slivers (I actually use my peeler to get thin carrot slivers)
1.5 cup bean sprouts
1.5 cups cabbage, thinly sliced
2 oz buckwheat soba or udon noodles
8 oz extra firm tofu, thoroughly drained
20(ish) fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
hoisin sauce and/or sweet chili sauce for dipping
Fill a medium pot with water with a generous dash of salt, and bring to a boil. Add noodles, and cook 6-10 minutes, according to package instructions and being careful not to let them get too soft (you can use this time to do some of the prep some of your vegetables and/or tofu). Drain and rinse with cold water to cool. Set aside.
Thinly slice tofu into roughly 2x4" rectangles. As long as your tofu is firm and well drained, I find that a cheese slicer of all things gives beautiful and uniform results.
In a small bowl, combine carrots, sesame oil, soy sauce and sesame seeds.
Fill a pie pan or wide-brimed bowl (big enough for spring roll wrapper submersion) with hot tap water. Lay out a clean towel, and place hot water and ingredients within easy reach.
Submerge a spring roll wrapper completely in the hot water for around 10 seconds or until sufficiently pliable. As previously mentioned, this may take some trial and error for first timers. Once pliable, lay it out flat on the towel.
Layered desired ingredients in a small log about 1/3 from the bottom or the round wrapper, leaving a couple inches on both sides. Use the tofu rectangles as a good guide to what your dimensions should be. Be careful to not overfill, it only takes a little bit of each ingredient. I also like to layer "prettier" ingredients first (the basil leaves in this case) since they will be the most visible, and I find the tofu works well last... but it really doesn't matter.
Carefully fold in both sides of the wrapper. Then fold up the bottom and continue to roll, tucking in the fillings as you go. Set aside for 5 minutes, or refrigerate until serving to give the wrappers a chance to dry out ever so slightly.
Continue assembling rolls in the same manner. I usually have to replace the hot water a couple times during the process since I use a pie pan and the water seems to cool surprisingly fast.
Serve within 2 hours, either leaving rolls in tact (my preference if you have enough for everyone), or cutting each in half on a bias (an easy way to have appetizers for twice as many people), and serve with hoisin and sweet chili sauce.
Serves 2-3 hungry people as a main course, or up to 20 as a side dish or appetizer.
No comments:
Post a Comment