Two of my favorite Thai dishes are Spring Rolls and Nam Sod. So why not combine them into one delicious appetizer? I made this recipe vegan by substituting tofu instead of ground chicken or pork normally used in a Nam Sod salad. The result has all the flavor of the Nam Sod sauce minus the heavy, gut-bomb effect of deep-fried spring rolls.
Making spring rolls can be a bit time-consuming, but with a little practice you’ll be churning out these little beauties like a pro. The key to speeding up the assembly process is to have the filling ingredients chopped and arranged in easy-to-access bowls so the rice wrapper can be stuffed as soon as it’s properly moistened.
To prevent the rice wrappers from tearing, avoid over-soaking them. They should be pliable but not flimsy. I find fully submerging them for about 1 ½ to 2 minutes works best. If the edges start curling up, they have probably soaked for too long and are likely to rip. I also found placing the wrapper on a damp kitchen or paper towel during assembly helps it keep shape.
The spring rolls are best consumed on the day they are made before the wrapper dries out and becomes tough. However, I doubt this will be a problem because they usually disappear as quickly as you can crank them out!
Filling Ingredients (makes approximately 16 – 18 rolls)
1 14-ounce package extra firm tofu – cut into ¼ inch cubes
1 package spring roll wrappers
½ cup cilantro leaves
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
3 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce (hard ribs removed)
½ cup thinly sliced radish
½ cup fresh ginger cut into 1-inch matchsticks
1 cup chopped unsalted peanuts
1 tablespoon thinly sliced Thai chili peppers
20 large basil leaves
Sauce Ingredients
½ cup fresh lime juice (with or without pulp)
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Bragg’s Amino Acids (or tamari /soy sauce)
1 teaspoon garlic chopped or grated into a paste (I used a microplane to achieve this consistency)
1 ½ teaspoons fresh ginger chopped/grated into a paste
1 teaspoon chili paste
½ tablespoon agave nectar (or honey for vegetarians)
½ teaspoon finely chopped Thai chili peppers
Directions
- Place all of the sauce ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Cut the tofu into cubes and place in the sauce (fully submerged) and let marinate about 30 minutes.
- While the tofu is marinating, chop all of the vegetables and arrange in separate bowls around your assembly station.
- Fill a shallow pan or skillet with 1 inch of water. Slide a rice wrapper under the water to soak for about 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Occasionally move it to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom. As soon as you can gently scrunch the center of the wrapper with your fingers and it springs back to its original shape (but before the edges begin to curl), carefully pull it out of water using both hands and immediately lay it out on a flat, damp towel.
- Begin the assembly by placing a basil leaf upside down in the center of the wrapper.
- Using a slotted spoon, scoop about ¼ cup of the cubed tofu from the marinade, drain the excess liquid and place it on top of the basil leaf.
- Layer small amounts of the red onion, radish, ginger sticks, sliced Thai chili peppers and chopped peanuts on top of the tofu in a mound. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the marinade over the filling ingredients. The place a small amount of lettuce and cilantro leaves over the filling.
- Lift the bottom edge of the wrapper and fold it over the top of the mounded filling and slightly tuck the edge underneath. Fold the right and left sides of the wrapper over the mounded filling like a burrito, then roll the mound up the rest of the wrapper to seal it.
- Place the roll on a plate so the side with most of the wrapper is at the bottom and the basil leaf shows through the skin on top. Continue making individual rolls until all of the filling ingredients are gone. Make sure that the completed rolls do not touch each other on the plate or they will tear when pulling them apart.
- Arrange 2 rolls on a serving plate and spoon about ½ tablespoon excess marinade over the top. If you like extra sauce, place the remaining marinade in a container with a pour spout and drizzle more juice into the roll after each bite.
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