Fresh, and healthy mix & match rainbow vegan rice paper spring rolls (sweet and savory) served with a choice of 3 dips for a nutritious, delicious meal or snack!
Mango Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce: (makes about 1/2 Cup sauce)
1/2cupsmango chunks
1-1.5Teaspoonschili pasteto taste
1/2-1Tablespoonmaple syrup or other sweeteneragave, etc.
1/3clovegarlicminced
1Tablespoonslime juice
1/4Tablespooncoconut sugar
Pinchsea salt
Peanut Ginger Dipping Sauce:
1/3cupnatural peanut butter
1TablespoonsSoy sauce
1-2Tablespoonsof lime
1Tablespoonsof honey
1/2Tablespoonfresh grated ginger
1Tablespoonssesame oil
dash of hot water to thinadd more if neededGarnish with crushed peanuts (maybe flowers)
Avocado Cilantro Dipping sauce:
1/2avocado
1/4cupplain yogurt
Juice of 1/2 lime
Small piece of jalapenomore or less depending on how spicy you like it
1/2garlic clove
1/2teaspoonsalt
Pinchof pepper
1cupscilantroleaves +stem
About 1/2 cup water to thinor less depending on the consistency
Instructions
I like to begin by preparing the rice/noodle/grain filling in advance, to allow it to cool down before filling the rolls. If making general grains/noodles, simply follow the instructions on the packet. 1 cup of grain = 4-5 rolls, usually.
I usually make my grains in advance, sometimes even the day before (or wait until I have leftover grains and veggies to make these). The only exception is rice noodles, which usually just take a few minutes to boil in water and cool down quickly.
To Make sweet coconut sticky rice: (if not using a rice steamer)
Rinse the rice well and soak for at least 1 hour before draining and rinsing again.
Put the rice into a saucepan with a clear lid and add equal parts water to rice with a little extra (e.g. 1 cup rice to 1 cup plus 3 tbsp water)
Bring the pan to a simmer then turn the heat low and cook for 10 minutes without removing the lid at any point. After 10 minutes, once the water has all disappeared, allow the rice to sit in the pan 'steaming' until the coconut milk mixture is ready.
To make the coconut milk mixture- combine coconut milk, sugar and a pinch of salt into a pan and bring to simmer, stirring often, then leave on a low simmer for 10 minutes.
Gently fold the coconut sauce into the rice until moist and sticky.
To prepare the rice paper rolls:
If you're not used to using rice paper spring roll wrappers, then these may be slightly fiddly for the first couple that you may - but you'll easily get the knack of working with them.
To prepare the Dips: I like to make my dips just before I begin rolling my spring rolls. Simply blend all the ingredients for each dip in the blender (except the warm water), then add the water, as needed, till you achieve a good dipping consistency.
To prepare a rice paper wrapper: you'll need to soften them one at a time- Dip a single rice paper wrap into a bowl of warm water for about 5 seconds and then remove it quickly while it's 'bendy' but not soft and lay on a flat surface. It will continue to absorb water outside the bowl, to become softer, so leave it to absorb the water for a few seconds longer, so it's not too 'wet'.
Note= Rice paper rolls can tend to stick to certain surfaces. If you're worried about this - the best way to avoid it is to keep the surface damp. You can either wet the chopping board or even roll them on a damp dishtowel.
To Fill them: Leave about an inch space from the edges of the wrap (which will be the sides of the roll) and starting at about 1/3 into the wrap, begin to layer your fillings inside (keep in mind that whatever you place at the bottom will be what you see from the top of the roll). I tend to sprinkle my seeds etc. then put my avocado, radish, or strawberry/mango wider slices of fruit/veg here and then pile up other julienned fruit and veg inside. Include some micro-greens or herbs and then top with some vermicelli noodles, sticky rice, or your grain of choice. *Tip= If you want more stability in your rice paper rolls then use some lettuce or cabbage
To wrap them: Wrapping these is quite easy once you get the knack of it. Because the fillings are closer to one edge, it's quite easy to navigate. Carefully tuck in the edges, then fold over the roll repeatedly until the seam has sealed. You can also roll it over once before tucking in the edges and continuing to roll - depending on what you find most natural.
How to store the rice paper rolls:These rolls are best eaten immediately. If you're wanting to spread the fillings over a day or two, then you can meal-prep the fillings (apart from avocado and any that are best prepared closer to the time) and simply wrap the rolls as and when needed.
If you do have some extra filled rolls that you want to save, then you can try tightly wrapping each roll in cling film and placing in the fridge overnight. Make sure to allow them to come back to room temperature, before consuming.
Video
Notes
NOTE* I really think that the choice of fruits and veggies used is entirely up to personal palettes so I've just given some options above for you because I love to mix and match with plenty of choices. As a general rule, I tend to prepare the vegetables differently depending on what they are.For example: Julienne: Peppers, dragonfruit, carrots, some cross-section of purple cauliflower Mandolin: Carrots (as small round slices and ribbons), cucumber (as small round slices and ribbons), beetroot, radish Thinly slice: Avocado (placed on plates with lemon juice to maintain the freshness and color), Mango Cut into shapes: Avocado, Kiwi, Strawberry, carrots, beetroot, radish, strawberry