Spring Time for Spring Rolls
February 08, 2006
Spring rolls are a special treat for vegetarians, vegans, and gluten free eaters alike. Unlike pasta, rice wrappers (and rice noodles) are held together by amylose, a rice starch, rather than gluten proteins of wheat flour, and so they are easier to digest for persons with IBS and those allergic to wheat.
Rice paper wrappers are round like tortillas and are called "bangh trang" in Vietnamese. These wrappers are used to make spring rolls. The wrappers are made from soaked and ground rice made into a paste and dried in thin layers. Rice wrappers are sold in many asian and natural food groceries, and are rehydrated by individually soaking each round disc in warm water, and used immediately to make spring rolls. Making these spring rolls requires preparation of all the ingredients first, and then assembly last.
You will need: 1 package of vermecelli rice noodles; 1 package of rice wrappers; 1 bunch of thai basil and fresh cilantro; tofu or cooked and halved shrimp; shredded romaine lettuce. Peanut sauce requires 3 tbsp of peanut butter; 2 tbsp of "hoisin" sauce (sold at asian food markets and is made from sugar, soybeans, vinegar, and wheat flour); 1 can of coconut milk.
Step One: Soak the skinny vermecelli rice noodles in very warm water until soft; promptly drain and rinse in cool water; set aside for assembly.
Step Two: Rinse and dry romaine lettuce leaves. Shred the lettuce by chopping into thin slices or slivers. Set aside for assembly.
Step Three: Cook shrimp by deveining, removing shell, and throwing into a small pot of boiling water with garlic clove and salt. Remove after 2 minutes; drain; rinse; set aside for assembly.
Step Four: Rinse cilantro and thai basil, dry well. Remove individual leaves of basil for assembly and chop off stems of cilatro, using 2 sprigs per roll.
Step Five: Pour very warm water into a large mixing bowl. You are ready to begin assembly. Place one rice wrapper in the water until soft; remove gently with both hands; place on clean work surface and place a handful of noodles, lettuce, basil and cilantro; tofu strips or shrimp in a pile at one end of the round wrapper (like making a burrito). Fold in the right and left sides; now fold over the bottom half of the wrapper with the ingredients like you would a burrito. The edges seal naturally. Place on a tray or plate, but don't stack them. Cover with plastic and put them in the fridge.
Step Six: In a small pot, add 2 tbsp of hoisin sauce (made from black soybean paste), 3 tbsp of peanut butter, and one can of coconut milk. Cook on medium high heat, stirring so mixture won't burn. Sauce is done when all the ingredients thicken. Remove from heat and cool.
Step Seven: Serve spring rolls with a side of peanut sauce and chili garlic sauce (sold at asian grocer too). For variation on ingredients, you can also add sliced avacado to the the rolls, or batter fry the shrimp.
Labels: herbs, rice noodles, shrimp
