FRESH SPRING ROLLS

These Fresh Spring Rolls are even better than you’d find at a restaurant, and they’re incredibly easy and healthy! Served with a delicious homemade peanut sauce, these rolls are perfect for a fresh and light lunch, dinner or appetizer.

What better way to kick off springtime than by making these delicious Fresh Spring Rolls?!   Sometimes when I’m coming up with recipe ideas to share with you all, I really think about what might be “popular” with readers. Other times I don’t concern myself with that at all because it’s a recipe that is really dear to me, and that’s where these fresh spring rolls come in.

When it comes down to it, I just love the fresh, bold flavors that come from those type of recipes.

I first really fell in love with Fresh Spring Rolls at a delicious, “hole in the wall” restaurant in Utah called My Thai. I had tried them many times before, but the ones from My Thai were over-the-top amazing. I have yet to find a Thai restaurant with spring rolls that taste as good.

Fresh spring rolls really need to have great flavor, be soft and fresh. Also, the dipping sauce is *almost* the best part! Dip them in plain sweet chili sauce, or this really easy and delicious homemade peanut dipping sauce. AMAZING.

This recipe is one I’ve made many, many times over the years, and perfected the method as I’ve practiced. I’m exited to share my tips with you!

The first thing you should know when making fresh spring rolls is that they are extremely forgiving, and easy to adapt to use ingredients that you like.  I’m sharing what I typically put in them, but the options are endless!

I would say the only real “must have’s” in fresh spring rolls are fresh herbs, and veggies with a crunch. I always add fresh mint, basil and cilantro to my spring rolls. It’s a trio of fresh herbs that really make these stand out.

Then, choose vegetables with a good crunch and lots of color. I also add vermicelli rice noodle, because they are a great light filler for the rolls and make them more filling. You can find them, and the rice noodle wrappers at your grocery store in the Asian food section.

There are no rules here: just use what you like and what you have!

Chop all of your vegetables into long, thin slices. I like to shred the carrot, but you can cut it julienne, into long thin slices, also.

Assemble all of your ingredients together, including the chopped veggies, cooked chicken or shrimp, noodles, herbs, and rice paper wrappers.

You should be able to find the spring roll wrapper and the noodles at your local grocery store, Whole Foods, or Walmart.

Fill a large shallow dish or pie plate with an inch or so of water.

Remove one rice paper wrapper from the package, and place it in the water to soak. Allow it to soak for only 10-15 seconds or so, and then remove it from the water, allowing excess water to drip off, and place it on a flat surface, plastic cutting board or countertop.

The rice wrapper should still feel pretty firm at this point. It will soften up more as you add the filling ingredients. If you let it soak for too long it will get too soft and will tear when you roll it up, and be harder to work with.

Layer your ingredients on the 1/3 of the spring roll that is closest to you. I usually place some of the herbs or a piece of lettuce down first to act as a good base for layering the ingredients, but there are really no rules here.

Add 1-2 of each ingredient, and then a pinch of noodles at the end. Pick up the sides of the spring roll and fold them in over the toppings.

Then pick up the edge closest to you and pull it up and snugly over the toppings. Continue rolling, snugly, like a burrito. Practice will make perfect, but just try to keep all of the ingredients in tightly together as you roll everything together snugly.

If you’re not enjoying the spring rolls right away, I would suggest wrapping each roll individually in plastic wrap. Otherwise, the spring rolls will stick together and the wrapper may tear.

The rolls really taste best the day they are made, but they can be stored for 2-3 days, wrapped individually and stored in an air-tight container in the fridge.