Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce
These Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce are packed with crisp veggies, rice noodles, and an optional protein like shrimp, chicken, or tofu, wrapped in delicate rice paper and served with a delicious peanut dipping sauce.
Ingredients
Fresh Spring Rolls
- 1 lb medium-sized shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 oz vermicelli rice noodles
- 1 package spring roll wrappers
- 1 small head romaine or butter lettuce, ribs removed
- 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into thin strips
- 2-3 Persian cucumbers or 1 English cucumber, sliced into thin strips
- 1 cup (100 g) red cabbage, shredded
- ½ bunch cilantro
Peanut Sauce
- ⅓ cup (83 g) creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- Water, as needed (about 2-3 tbsp)
Instructions
To make the peanut sauce:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the creamy peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and maple syrup or honey. Add water a tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Set aside while you assemble the spring rolls.
To make the fresh spring rolls:
- Cook the shrimp in salted boiling water for about 2 minutes or until they turn pink. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Cook the noodles in boiling water according to the instructions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Prepare the fresh vegetables by rinsing the lettuce and removing the ribs, peeling and cutting the carrots and cucumbers into thin strips, shredding the cabbage, and cutting the cilantro into short sprigs.
- Fill a deep dish or pie pan with warm water. Soak a spring roll wrapper for about 10-15 seconds and then place it on a moist flat working surface or a clean kitchen towel.
- Leaving about 1 inch around the edges of the spring roll wrapper, place a piece of lettuce close to the center, then layer with a small amount of cooked rice noodles, carrots, cucumbers, red cabbage, and a couple of sprigs of cilantro. Place 3-4 shrimp in front of the vegetables.
- Fold the sides of the wrapper over the vegetables. Then fold the edge closest to you over and start rolling the wrapper while making sure everything stays inside to form the spring roll. Repeat this process until you use all of the ingredients.
- Immediately serve the spring rolls with the creamy peanut sauce on the side.
Notes
- Add a pinch of salt to the water before cooking the shrimp to enhance their flavor. You can also purchase cooked shrimp to make things easier.
- Some like to cut the shrimp in half so the spring rolls don’t look too bulky and prevent any tears. I prefer to use them whole so that each roll has more protein.
- Change the protein. Use seasoned grilled chicken, beef, pork, or tofu.
- Make them vegetarian. Use tofu instead of animal protein, or don’t add it at all and make the filling using only fresh vegetables.
- Use other ingredients for the filling like peppers, avocado, bean sprouts, green onions, jalapeño, or mango.
- These spring rolls do not store well, so try to enjoy them the same day you make them. However, if you must, they can be stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Just make sure you individually wrap each spring roll with plastic wrap to keep them from sticking to each other, and keep them inside an air-tight container so the cold air doesn’t dry them out too quickly.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!