Fresh Spring Rolls with Miso Peanut Sauce

Spring rolls look all fancy, but the truth is, they’re easy-peasy. If you. keep a package of the rice paper on hand, you can always whip some up for a light spring snack. Fill them with almost any raw, slivered, grated, or peeled vegetable; peas, carrots, winter squash, avocado, sprouts, and microgreens. Tofu is a nice addition, too, or bits of lime, or chopped peanuts, or crystalized ginger….oh dear, we are getting hungry.

The sauce is what really makes this super delicious. Sometimes I like to dip a roll in the sauce, and sometimes the sauce gets drizzled over the top. Sometimes (and this is crazy now!) sometimes I put some inside the roll, too.

So this recipe is really all about the sauce, which, although simple, has more ingredients than most spring rolls. It’s probiotic (thank you, miso!) and green (thank you, cilantro!) and peanutty and gingery and I’d be surprised if you won’t find more ways to use it than with these rolls. It’s lovely as a dip for fresh veg, or as a topping for rice dishes, for instance. Here’s the place to start, though.

Directions

Make sure the cilantro is fresh and clean; sometimes, especially in the rainy season, it gets gritty. Rinse it under running water, separating the stems, if necessary, to remove any traces of the field.

Combine the cilantro, peanut butter, water, oil, vinegar, tamari, ginger, garlic, miso, and cayenne (aka all the ingredients) in a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth.

Yep, it’s that simple.
Taste for salt before serving; depending on how salty your miso paste is, you might want to add a pinch of salt.

Store in the refrigerator, where it will keep for about a week if you don’t eat it all in one sitting.

To make the rolls:
Finely chop, grate, sliver, or mince the contents of your vegetable drawer. Slivered or grated carrots, avocado, sprouts and microgreens, shavings of delicata squash, soft tofu, chopped peanuts, cooked sweet potato are all good options. Since each roll only uses about two tablespoons of filling, decide how many rolls you’re making when you prep your ingredients. Or be willing to use the leftover prepped veg in salads, soups, or stir-fries if you prepare too much.
Follow the package directions to rehydrate the spring rolls. Fill a shallow pan or bowl with water, and lay one sheet of rice paper at a time
in the water for just half a minute.
Remove the rice paper from the water, shaking off the excess, and lay it flat on a cutting board or clear plate.

Arrange about 2 tablespoons of the chopped vegetables into the center of the circular sheet, as though you were rolling sushi. Make sure to leave at least an inch away from the edge on the sides of the rice sheets. Choose flavor combinations that call to you. Soft ingredients, like cooked sweet potato or avocado, tend to hold the filling in place as you roll, which is helpful.

 

Top the veggies with a tablespoon of the sauce if desired.

Fold the two edges of the rice sheet over the ends of the filling.
Working from the bottom, wrap the lower edge of the rice sheet over the filling, and tuck it in, so that the filling is held firmly in the rice paper. Then, roll the tube over and over until you reach the end of the sheet, as though you were rolling a big, vegetable filled…cigar. The stretchy rice paper sticks to itself.

Make as many rolls as you would like to eat or have ingredients for! This is a fun activity to involve the whole family or a group of guests in.
Arrange the rolls on a platter and dip ‘em in the sauce.
Repeat.

Over to You

It’s part of our mission here at Mountain Feed to help you make delicious, sustainable, homemade food more often. Stop by and say hello on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest. Or, as always, you can do it the old fashioned way and come by the store to speak with one of our in-house experts.