Vietnamese Fresh spring rolls

fitforlife34

These are yummy, and such a HIT at the resteraunts around my job. In fact, sometimes they even run out at the end of the day!
I love them because they taste so fresh and light, and are suprisingly filling! I made them for the first time last night and they are rather easy, you could even let your kids enjoy in the action and make them with you!
Also: They are much cheaper to make than to buy. They charge about $6 for 2 of them, while I made about 5x more of those probably around $10

Okay, so here is what you would need:

cucumber
romaine lettuce
carrots
rice sticks (but not needed, if too much rice. I didn't use them)
avocado
mint leaves
thai basil
cilantro
shrimp, chicken, tofu, or imitation crab (or a combo of all)
Rice paper wrappers (I got mine at an Asian specialty store.)

1. You want to soak the rice paper wrappers in warm water for about 10 seconds. (I noticed if you let them dry after on a
plate they tend to be more sturdy and roll better. but I did it quickly---even a little wet---because I was tired. lol)

2. Then fill them with the goodies above. Doesn't have to be perfect, think of a burrito. When you roll them, make sure
everything stays inside the wrapper, and you can fold in the sides, the rice in the wrapper sticks rather nicely.

3. You can cut them, or eat it whole (as I did.) Then dip in the sauce, it brings even more flavor.

See, easy huh? Let me know how they turned out.

there are many different sauces you can make, but here is the one I made, it was DELICIOUS! if you have peanut allergies, then you might want to try this one instead:
http://iowagirleats.com/2010/05/19/how-to-make-fresh-spring-rolls/ (the sauce is on the bottom)



But here is how to make the Peanut dipping sauce that I made:

1/4 cup roasted peanuts , ground, for garnish
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 garlic cloves , minced
1 teaspoon chili paste or 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth or 1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons peanut butter (or more)
1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1. Heat the oil and add the garlic, chili paste, and tomato paste.
2 Fry until garlic is golden brown.
3 Add the broth, sugar, peanut butter, and hoisin sauce, and whisk to dissolve the peanut butter.
4 Bring to a boil.
5 Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
6 Garnish with the ground peanuts. (if desired.)

I hope you like them, and feel free to share pictures, tips, or other healthy Vietnamese recipes

fitforlife34

ninerbuff

I buy them at least 2 times a week from a family owned Vietnamese restaurant I love to support. But yeah spring rolls are da bomb!

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

texastango

Thanks for the post. I love these myself. I alternate chicken and shrimp. We have a very large Vietnamese community here..they are wonderful!

meshashesha2012

thanks for posting. will definitely give these a try

fitforlife34

Thank you. I know I put a comment about them and wondered if others would like me to post the recipe. So I did.
I would have posted a picture, but I didn't know how to do that.