Fresh spring rolls

A couple weeks ago, allrecipes, which is based right here in Seattle, held a tweetup for some local moms and bloggers. We had never been to a tweetup before and if this is what they're all like, bring on the tweetups!

We were treated to cooking demonstrations, school lunch ideas, easy dinner solutions, and even hands on instructions for how to make spring rolls. You all, the spring rolls are so cinchy! And delicious! And amazingly healthy! They're even easy for kids to assemble.

Rating: 1/4 assed

Here's what you need and how you do it

6-8 spring roll skins (found in the Asian foods aisle of your local grocery store--you can see the package in the middle of the above photo, so you know what to look for)

1/2 pound of salad/bay shrimp

Pre-shredded coleslaw cabbage

1-2 large carrots, shredded

Several basil leaves, kept whole (these give your rolls a good, Thai flavor)

Chili sauce (Sun Luck, Heinz, A Taste of Thai, etc.), hoisin sauce, or whatever else you'd like for dipping

Fill a large, shallow pan or dish with water. Dip in spring roll skin and keep submerged for 10 seconds or so. Spread onto cutting board and fill with shrimp, cabbage, carrots and basil leaves. Wrap spring roll like a burrito, as tightly as possible without ripping the spring roll skin.

Serve with sauces warmed slightly in microwave and miso soup.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Comments

[tiff]

i think i would call those rice paper rolls!

[laura mullin]

yum! i've been wanting to try my hand at making these. this looks like a sign, it's time to give them a try.

[Vanita]

Sounds good, but how do you close them? What about deep-frying?

[Half Assed Kitchen]

You fold them up like a burrito. And the edges stick because the rice/tapioca paper is a little sticky when it's wet. These you don't deep fry. And they're super healthy.

[Vanita]

Ah, thank you. :-)

[LEON]

Your recipe looks so good, I can almost smell it!

[MommyTime]

It's worth emphasizing that these are even easier because the recipe is ripe for substitutions, so you don't even have to make a special trip, as long as you have the wrappers in your cupboard. They're also good with chilled rice noodles in the mix; Chinese cabbage can be substituted for regular cabbage if you prefer; and cilantro instead of basil is an option. My mother used to make a slightly sweet vinaigrette using rice vinegar when we were kids. MMMM....