Roll inspired by a recipe in "V is for Vegan" by Kerstin Rodgers
Ingredients:
For the roll:
- About 3 oz of rice vermicelli (You can also find this in an ethnic Indian or Asian grocery store)
- 1 large carrot shredded
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- A handful each of fresh herbs like mint, cilantro, parsley, and basil, leaves picked and thick stems removed, washed and patted dry
- 12 round rice paper wrappers (You can also find this in an ethnic Asian grocery store, you will not find this in an Indian store)
- Salt to taste
- Warm water
- You also need a wide rimmed dish or bowl for dipping the rice wrapper and a clean towel
For the peanut sauce:
- 1/4 cup raw peanuts
- 1 small piece ginger
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- Water for consistency
Make 12 rolls
Method:
Make the rolls
- Prepare the rice vermicelli as per instructions on the package. It is usually prepared by soaking the noodles in boiling hot water for a few minutes and drained. Add a bit a salt to the soaking water for taste.
- Set up an assembly line with some warm water at hand, herbs, vegetables, vermicelli, a wide dish for dipping the rice wrapper, and a clean towel
- Pour the warm water in to the wide dish or bowl. Completely dip the rice wrapper in to the water for 5 seconds
- Take out the rice wrapper and set it on the clean towel. Fill with a little bit of vermicelli, cabbage, carrot and few sprigs or leaves of each of the herbs. Take care not to overfill
- Roll up tightly and fold over the sides
- Move to serving dish and cover with a plastic wrap
- Refresh the dish with warm water if it has cooled down and repeat over and over until you have about 12 rolls
- Cover the rolls with plastic wrap until ready to serve
Couple of tips:
- Do not over soak the wrapper in warm water, do it exactly for 5 seconds (1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi... 5 Mississippi and take it out!) unless the instruction on the package calls for more time. You may think the wrapper feels hard, but trust me it will get softer.
- The towel is a brilliant idea, thanks to Kerstin. In the past I have used a plate to assemble the rolls and it has not worked well
- Feel free to use other vegetables like julienned radish, julienned bell pepper, sliced mushrooms sliced spring onions, cucumber cut in to sticks, and even marinated tofu cut in to sticks
Make the peanut sauce
- Soak the peanuts in hot water for 30 minutes or so
- Drain and remove the skin (it should come right off)
- Blend all the ingredients together adding water as needed for consistency