Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

For quite a while I've been wanting to make spring rolls. I found an easy recipe on Pinterest for Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce that led to Sally's Baking Addiction. The most labor-intensive part is the chopping. Once that is done, the assembly of the spring rolls takes just a few minutes.

This recipes makes 8 spring rolls. They are flavorful - especially with the homemade peanut sauce. I will definitely be making these spring rolls again!

Ingredients

Spring Rolls

2 ounces rice vermicelli or maifun brown rice noodles* (I used rice noodles)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (I doubled the amount to give the noodles more flavor)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup torn butter lettuce, ribs removed
1 cup very thinly sliced red cabbage (I used green cabbage since that's what I had on hand)
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks or sliced into strips with a julienne peeler
2 Persian (mini) cucumbers or 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced or sliced into strips with a julienne peeler (I used a regular cucumber)
2 medium jalapeños, ribs and seeds removed, thinly sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint
8 sheets rice paper (spring roll wrappers)

Peanut Sauce

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce (I used soy sauce)
2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (I used honey)
1 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 to 3 tablespoons water, as needed (I didn't use the water)

Directions

To make the spring rolls: Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the noodles just until al dente, according to package directions. Drain, rinse them under cool water, and return them to the pot. Off the heat, toss the noodles with the sesame oil and salt, and set aside.

Fill a shallow pan (a pie pan or 9″ round cake pan works great) with an inch of water. Fold a lint-free tea towel in half and place it next to the dish. (Note: I used a paper towel.) Make sure your prepared fillings are within reach. Combine the green onion, cilantro and mint in a small bowl, and stir.

Place one rice paper in the water and let it rest for about 20 seconds. You want the sheet to be pliable, but not super floppy. Carefully lay it flat on the towel or paper towel.

Leaving about 1 inch of open rice paper around the edges, cover the lower third of the paper with a few pieces of butter lettuce, followed by a small handful of rice noodles, some cabbage, and a few strips of carrot, cucumber and jalapeño. Sprinkle generously with the herb mix. (Note: I added edible flowers to the spring rolls. This was the first thing I put down before the rest of the ingredients.)

Fold the lower edge up over the fillings, rolling upward just until the filling is compactly enclosed. Fold over the short sides like you would to make a burrito. Lastly, roll it up. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

To make the peanut sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, rice vinegar, tamari, honey, sesame oil, and garlic. Whisk in 2 to 3 tablespoons water, as needed to make a super creamy but dip-able sauce.

Serve the spring rolls with peanut sauce on the side. You can serve them whole, or sliced in half on the diagonal with a sharp chef’s knife.

Note: The peanut sauce can be made in advance. You also can prepare the vegetables several hours or up to 1 day in advance, and store them in an air-tight container (they will lose freshness with time). The spring roll wrappers tend to dry out with time or once chilled, so spring rolls are best assembled shortly before serving. If you’d like to keep them fresh for a couple of hours, store them under a lightly damp, lint-free tea towel at room temperature (the skin tends to harden in the refrigerator).