I absolutely love spring rolls. You can throw anything you want into the wrapper and make any kind of sauce to go with it. Since I’m making sure all of the recipes I post in May comply with Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat To Live plan, I spent a lot of time deciding how I wanted to build these. I came up with rolls that were essentially a green salad with tofu that could be dipped in a peanut dressing.
I will admit that these are not the fastest or easiest things to make, but they are definitely worth the effort. Make them for a party and have your guests be part of the assembly line or enlist your kids! The hardest part for me is handling the rice wrapper properly so it doesn’t rip. I have yet to make an entire batch that didn’t require at least a few “double wraps” and today was no exception.
I figured out a few tricks to making these a little easier to assemble. First, have all of your filling ingredients ready and lined up in bowls. Make sure that stems or veggies with sharp edges are trimmed so they don’t puncture the wrapper. To make wrapping easier, lay a towel on the counter and a wet (not soaking wet, but more than damp) paper towel on top of it, and re-wet the paper towel before making the next roll. And after the roll is finished, place it on a plate covered with a damp paper towel until just before serving to keep it from drying out. I included a lot of photos with explanations in the directions below, so I hope it’s enough to get you through the process with relative ease. Enjoy!
Ingredients (makes 9 rolls and serves 3-4)
1 package extra firm tofu
1-2 tsp. Braggs Amino Acids, tamari or soy sauce
1 package of spring roll wrappers
½ bag (about 2.5 ounces) mixed salad greens or green leaf lettuce – roughly chopped, stems removed
½ English cucumber – seeds removed, cut into 3 inch sticks
2 carrots – grated or julienned
3 green onions – sliced
alfalfa sprouts
pea sprouts
fresh basil (or cilantro or mint)
1 lime
Dipping Sauce Ingredients
6 tbsp. peanut or almond butter
6 tbsp. water
½ medium sweet apple – diced
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1-2 tsp. Sriracha sauce (or cayenne pepper, fresh red chilis or crushed red chili pepper flakes)
½ – 1 tsp. grated ginger
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
Directions
1. Cut tofu into 9 evenly-sized pieces and place on a plate. Sprinkle Braggs, soy or tamari over tofu, gently rub in with fingers, then flip and rub in the rest. Set aside and let marinate while you prep the vegetables and dipping sauce.
2. Place all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend well. (I used almond butter instead of peanut and it was excellent.) Adjust seasonings to your taste. I like a lot of chili, ginger and lime. Note to Dr. Fuhrman followers: Sriracha sauce is made with sugar – not allowed on his plan. Even though only a small amount is used here, if you want to completely avoid sugar, use cayenne, fresh red chilis or red chili pepper flakes. If you are not following Dr. Fuhrman, use sweetener of choice rather than apple. Let chill in fridge while you assemble the rolls.
3. Fill a shallow pan with 1 inch of cool water. Completely submerge 1 spring roll wrapper in the water and let soak to re-hydrate. This takes 30 – 60 seconds. It’s ready when the “grill” marks disappear and the edges start to curl. Remove wrapper and place on wet paper towel. Carefully re-shape wrapper in a circle being careful not to rip it.
4. Begin assembling the wrap starting with a layer of lettuce 1/3 of the way from the edge of the wrapper. Place a piece of tofu on top of lettuce. Then lay a cucumber stick on either side of the tofu. Next, place a layer of carrot and alfalfa on top. Spread green onions over alfalfa, followed by the pea shoots. Squeeze a small amount of fresh lemon juice over everything and then cover with a large basil leaf.
5. Wrap like a burrito by bringing the edge of the wrapper half way over the stack of vegetables, then folding over each side. Then roll the whole thing up to the far edge of the wrapper. If the wrapper punctures, feel free to soak another wrapper and do a “double wrap” to keep things in place.
6. Set finished roll on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Make sure that the finished rolls do not touch each other or they will stick together and rip when you try to pull them apart. Repeat above process until all rolls are wrapped.
7. Arrange on serving plate with a dish of sauce for dipping. These are best eaten the same day they are made as they tend to dry out in the refrigerator.
cheri says
Hi Amy, your posts just keep getting better and better. We love spring rolls, your peanut sauce looks and sounds amazing.
Amy says
Thanks so much, Cheri!
Annie says
I have a heck of a time rolling spring rolls and burritos – but I keep trying :-). These look so fresh! Thanks for sharing at the Potluck!
Annie recently posted…Virtual Vegan LINKY Potluck 3
Amy says
Thanks, Annie. I have some difficulty with these paper-thin wrappers, too. Thus, the occasional double wrap!