Vietnamese Vegetable Spring Roll Wraps With a Nut-Free Mock Thai Peanut Sauce Made with Sunflower Seed Butter, Maple Syrup, Ginger and Coconut Milk
Vietnamese Spring Rolls are great served as an appetizer or as a main course. These were prepared as a vegetarian course, however, feel free to add poached shrimp or shredded chicken, tossed with a little toasted sesame oil. Served with the most delicious mock Thai peanut sauce. A sauce we miss in our household as we suffer from nut allergies. Do not fret though, this sauce is just as good, maybe even better.
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
4 oz dried glass noodles or rice noodles
8 sheets of Asian Rice Paper rounds (Spring Roll Wrappers)
verify they are all rice if your gluten free
2 cups butter lettuce, remove ribs, Slice or tear into long pieces
1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
3 carrots shredded or cut using a vegetable peeler
1 lg cucumber or 3 small, cut into julienne, and then into 3-4 inch strips, skin on
1 red pepper, cut in julienned strips, then cut in half again. Strips should be about 3 inches long
¼ cup sliced green onions
¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
¼ cup basil leaves, chiffonade
¼ cup fresh chopped mint leaves
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
Directions:
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Turn off the heat. Place dried noodles inside for 2 minutes only. Drain. Rinse with cold water to stop them from overcooking. Toss with the toasted sesame oil and a pinch of salt. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Chop the herbs and place together in a small bowl, mix. Set aside.
Make sure all of your vegetables are chopped and ready to use before you soften your rice paper wraps.
Fill a medium 12 inch frying pan ⅓ full with water. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Place one rice paper gently into water for 10 seconds. It will still be a little hard, but will soften as you use it. You might have to lose one or two wraps to learn the right way to wrap the veggies. If it is too soft, it will tear, if it is too hard, it might not be pliable enough to wrap.
Lay the rice paper on a kitchen towel. Start by placing a couple shreds of lettuce about 2 inches from bottom and about 3 inches from each side. Top with the cooled noodles, then the cabbage, the cucumber, and then the carrot. Sprinkle the herb mixture on top. Fold up hte bottom of wrapper over the veggie mixture. Use your fingers to push in tight. Fold side edges over. Then roll with your hands.
Each roll can be served whole or it can be cut in half and served in a bowl or a platter with an edge upright, showcasing the colorful vegetables
Ingredients - Mock Thai Peanut Dipping Sauce Sunflower Seed Butter, Coconut Milk and Ginger
⅔ cup sunflower seed butter
½ cup full fat coconut milk
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbs fresh lime juice
4 Tbs soy sauce, or tamari for gluten free
4 Tbs maple syrup
1 ½ Tbs ginger paste or grated ginger
2 Tbs toasted sesame oil, toasted gives a better flavor
¼ tsp salt
Directions:
Mix all of the ingredients together. Refrigerate. Will keep refrigerated for 5 days.