Fresh Salad Rolls

Posted Mon, 09/07/2009 - 09:20 by klevelle
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I love to make these when the weather is hot and we need something quick and easy at the table. They're great accompanied by a light stir fry or curry, or even as a meal on their own. I've also found that they hold up well if wrapped in plastic for taking to work. It's also a great way to use up the bits and pieces from yesterday's green salad.

We normally make these right at the table so I bring all of the ingredients and tools and we make and eat them to our individual preferences.

Preparation Time: 
10-15 minutes (mostly chopping)
Servings: 
1 (can be expanded endlessly)
Ingredients: 

rice paper wrappers (NOT wonton wrappers or potsticker wrappers! They are dried and can be found in Asian markets and some supermarkets)
baked tofu (about 2 oz per serving)
lettuce (butter or romaine are great) (a leaf or two per serving)
herbs (choose from cilantro, basil, mint, parsley) (a sprig or two per serving)
veggies (choose from cucumber, carrot, daikon, zucchini, bell pepper etc) (a small pile of matchsticks per serving)

Sauces:
peanut, thai sweet hot, or soy (I buy prepared sauces to save time)

Preparation: 

Each ingredient needs to be sliced into matchstick sized pieces (if firm) or shredded (for lettuce and herbs). Make sure you prepare all of the ingredients at this step before moving on.

Take a pie pate or other large plate and fill with room temperature water. Place one rice paper round in the water and move it around until it becomes soft. Be careful at this point because it can tear easily! Place the softened wrapper in front of you on a cutting board or other firm surface. Add ingredients to your choosing. I normally add a few slices of baked tofu, lettuce pieces, cuke and carrot sticks and a pile of herbs from the garden. You want the pile of filling to be about 1-2 inches wide and extend in a straight line across the bottom 1/3 of the wrapper. Then, tuck in the two sides and tightly roll (pretend you're making sushi) the wrapper up and away from you, stretching the paper lightly to hold everything together. If the paper is moist enough, it should cling to itself well.

Dip into sauce and eat.

Advice- smaller rolls (just light smaller burritos) are easier to make and eat than bigger ones. Start small!
The fillings can be varied endlessly. Try throwing in a bit of whatever you have in the garden or in your crisper in the fridge.
Rice paper wrappers keep indefinitely if sealed tightly (like in a ziptop bag) and kept cool and dry.