Vegan Rice Paper Rolls -

Vegan Rice Paper Rolls

Packed with crunchy vegetables and served with a tasty peanut dipping sauce. These summer rolls are great for lunch or as a tasty appetiser.

Course Appetizer, Lunch

Cuisine vietnamese

Prep Time 50

Cook Time 5

Total Time 55

Servings

Calories 354kcal

Author Michelle Alston

Ingredients

For the dipping sauce

5 heaped tbsp of peanut butter I use smooth peanut butter
1 clove of garlic put through a garlic press or minced
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoon light soy sauce swap for tamari to make it gluten-free
1 small lime, the juice of
2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
100 ml of water more if needed

For the rolls

8 rice paper wraps
50 g (2 oz) rice noodles (dry weight) cook according to the packet instructions then leave to cool.
A small bunch of asparagus tips cut into quarters
2 large spring onions (scallions) thinly sliced
3 medium radishes sliced thinly
1 medium carrot peeled the julienned (cut into thin matchsticks)
80 g English cucumber (¼ of a large cucumber) julienned
1 medium yellow pepper deseeded and cut into thin strips
A small handful of coriander leaves (cilantro)

For serving

1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 tablespoon peanuts toasted
lime wedges

Instructions

Make the dipping sauce

Start by making the peanut dipping sauce. Add the peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and lime juice and mix well. Then add the water a little at a time, I found using a whisk the best way to incorporate the water. The sauce should be runny. Pop it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

Make the rolls

Start by cooking the noodles according to the packet instructions. Leave to cool once cooked.
Next, blanch the asparagus. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Carefully lower the asparagus into the boiling water. Cook for 2 minutes. Using tongs, remove the asparagus and plunge it into iced water for at least 5 minutes. Drain the asparagus on kitchen paper. Leave to cool.
While the asparagus and noodles are cooking, prep the vegetables. Slice them into thin strips of equal length and size or as close to equal as you can.
Have a bowl of warm water ready, dip one rice paper wrap in the water for 2 to 3 seconds, then turn it over and leave for another 3 seconds.
Place the wrap on a clean dry chopping board.
Place a little of each vegetable, some of the noodles and a couple of coriander horizontally in the centre of the wrap.
Now turn over each side of the wrap over the edges of the vegetables. Now turn over the edge closest to you. Roll the vegetables and the wrap away from you until the vegetables are concealed in a roll.
Don't worry if some of the vegetables break the paper the veggies have sharp edges.
Practice makes perfect with these rolls, the more you make them the better your rolls will look.
Serve the rolls whole or cut in half. Serve with the peanut dipping sauce, a sprinkling of some sesame seeds, lime wedges and chopped toasted peanuts if you wish.

Notes

Vegetables - you can use almost any vegetable for these wraps. I would, however, stick to veggies that are good for eating raw, like peppers, courgette, sugar snap peas etc.
Add-ins - thin slices of crispy tofu are great in these wraps, you could also add in some spinach too.
Rice paper wraps - I order these online, you may be able to find them in larger supermarkets. If you are lucky enough to have an Asian supermarket near you, you should find them there. My wraps measured in a 16cm (6.3 inches) diameter. Remember to flip the paper over once or twice in warm water to avoid the edges curling.
Peanut butter - I use smooth peanut butter for the dipping sauce, it is sugar-free. I have made this sauce with crunchy peanut butter which works well too.
Leftover dipping sauce - if you have any leftover, use it as a salad dressing or add it to a tofu wrap. It will keep in the fridge for a couple of days.
Make them Gluten-Free - swap the soy sauce for tamari to make this gluten-free, also check that your hoisin sauce is gluten-free too.
Making ahead/storing - The dipping sauce can be made a day or two ahead of time, just keep it in the fridge and give it a good stir before you serve it. The rolls once made are best eaten fresh, they will keep in the fridge for a few hours, I would store them separated on a plate if possible, however, I would not recommend leaving them overnight. The reason for this is that the rice paper can get very sticky, but it can also dry out.
Freezing - I don't recommend freezing these, they'll get too soggy when you defrost them.
Nutritional Information - is calculated using an online nutrition tool and is approximate, it includes the peanut dipping sauce. It does not include sesame seeds and toasted peanuts. Information is based on one serving of two rolls plus plenty of dipping sauce.

Nutrition