Rice paper rolls are new to me and it is not something that I have been used to eating growing up. But I see different recipes all the time and they are so easy to make, so I decided to give it a try. And thank God I did, they are really good. Just use whatever veggies you have available at the time. No lettuce, use cabbage.. no cucumber, use bell peppers.. simple and easy. It is not a fixed recipe and you can make it with anything you like. I used some shrimp to make these but they are equally good without the shrimp. So don't feel pressured if you don't have any, this is a go to recipe.. meaning it has to be easy to make and with simple ingredients you have in your fridge most of the time.
Ofcourse, you need to have a hugely flavorful dipping sauce, because rice paper is flavorless and I don't intend on going through the trouble of rolling these only to eat plain raw vegetables. I can do that without all the fuss. So we are making a Thai peanut butter dipping sauce. It is sweet, savory and nutty. It tastes delicious on all the vegetables I will be including today and on the shrimp as well.
You need to know that rice paper softens with water. I used room temp water and it worked just fine. Read the instructions on the package of your rice paper if you're not sure how to go upon using it.
Ingredients:
1 package rice paper rolls (10 sheets)
2 avocados
1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
2 thinly sliced carrots
2 thinly sliced cucumbers
1 thinly sliced bell pepper
2 thinly sliced green onions
A few parsley leaves
Lettuce leaves
Cooked shrimps (optional)
Rice noodles
Dipping Sauce:
1/3 cup peanut butter
4 tablespoons soy sauce (prefferably low sodium)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 taespoon grated ginger
1 crushed garlic
1-2 teaspoons sriracha
1-2 tablespoons water
* Start by slicing the veggies you want to use thinly and wash the lettuce.
*If you are using shrimps, Cook them in a pan with butter, salt and black pepper. Shrimp cooks fast, they will be ready in a few minutes. Set them aside. If your shrimps are large, slice them in half. this way they are easier to eat in the roll. If you're using small ones, leave them as is.
*Cook the rice noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes then drain. You can leave them as they are or splash a teaspoon of saoy sauce on them if you don't want them to stay white. Don't worry, once you dip them in the sauce they will have all the flavor in the world.
*For the rice paper rolls, soak them in room temperature water for a few seconds ( as mentioned on the package) and take them out. Lay them on a clean surface, I used a cutting board and it worked fine. It will continue to soften slightly. Lay the vegetables you want to use on the first third of the roll, noodles, shrimps as you wish. You don't have to use the same thing in all the rolls. Mix and match. Remember not to overfill the roll, you will have difficulty rolling it and the paper will tear.
*Now roll the rice paper over the filling, bring in the sides to close them, and continue rolling to the end. You will end up with a large roll. Finish up the batch and then make the sauce.
*For the sauce we simply add in all the ingredients and whisk them together, use warm water to help the peanut butter blend well with the other ingredients.
*Now you simply cut each roll in half, this way you get to see what's inside, and serve. Enjoy them while still fresh. Don't let them sit and get dry.