Japanese-inspired Spring Rolls
Summer rolls are the perfect lunch or dinner idea when it’s hot outside and you are craving something healthy, light, and refreshing. All you really need to do is prepare the vegetables, protein, noodles, and sauce. The most challenging part for most people is the rolling step but I’ve included detailed instructions on how to do this without fail. These rolls can be enjoyed as a snack or a fresh meal. Feel free to switch up any of the ingredients to your liking but the key player to complete your summer rolls is the dipping sauce.
Ingredients:
Cook time: 30 minutes | Makes: 10 rolls
1 pack of thin vermicelli rice noodles (12 oz)
2 cucumbers, sliced into matchsticks
2 carrots, julienned
1 head of lettuce
1 pack of shiso/perilla
2 packs of mint leaves (0.5 oz each)
2 packs of fried tofu or 1 block of extra firm tofu
1 tbsp of white miso paste
¼ cup of tahini
2 lemons, juiced or 2 tbsp of lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced or grated
½ tbsp of sriracha or chili oil
4 cups of boiling water
Directions:
Fill up a large bowl of boiling water then place your vermicelli noodles in to soak for 4 minutes. Drain and rinse once they have cooked completely.
Wash your vegetables and pick off the shiso and mint leaves from their stems.
Prepare a large bowl for your fillings. Rip off your lettuce pieces individually from the core. Slice your cucumbers into matchstick shapes and julienne the carrots thinly.
For your tofu, if you prefer to use fresh extra firm tofu, you can eat it as is or lightly pan fry it with sesame oil to crisp the outer edges. If you bought pre-fried tofu which can be found at asian grocery stores, simply cut it matchstick size pieces. Place all the vegetables, tofu, and cooked noodles into the large bowl.
To make the dipping sauce, mix together the miso, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, sriracha or chili oil, and ½ cup of boiling water. Whisk until smooth and well combined.
Before rolling, fill a giant bowl (big enough to dip your rice paper sheets into) with warm water. Do NOT use boiling water otherwise your rice paper sheets will soften too quickly and be difficult to work with.
To make your summer rolls, prepare a large circular plate and sprinkle an ample amount of water on it to prevent the rice paper rolls from sticking.
Dip one side of the dry rice paper sheet into the hot water and rotate to submerge all parts, softening the sheet for rolling.
Carefully place the rice paper sheet onto your plate and lay it out flat with no folds or overlaps whatsoever.
This is the most difficult part of the recipe. The rice paper will soften and become sticky very quickly so you need to work hastily. Place all your fillings into the middle of the sheet. I personally like to lay the shiso leaf first so it shows on the outside of the roll once completed.
Wet your hands generously and fold the bottom of the wet rice paper sheet up and over the middle filling (like you would for a burrito). Scrunch all the filling into the roll so there is as little air leftover inside as possible. Fold the right side of the rice paper roll in to secure the fillings, then do the same for the other side. Lastly, roll from the bottom up until the rice paper sheet is encompassing the insides and there is no more rice paper sheet left. The top edge should stick instantly to the entire rice paper sheet.
You can store these in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days but the rice paper will harden as it is more exposed to outside air. Dip in the miso tahini sauce and enjoy!