Vietnamese Spring Roll with Peanut Sauce

This is an interesting healthy vegan ( and gluten free) appetizer that they make at a Vietnamese restaurant that we frequent.  I liked it so much that I had to learn how to make it at home! Surprisingly, it was easier to make than I expected.

The spring roll is packed with tasty vegetables that are sauteed lightly so they are delicious and a little firm.The combination of cabbage, sprouts, broccoli slaw, ginger and lemon grass give it a fabulous flavor. I really favor Vietnamese cooking over Chinese and Japanese. I love the flavors, the vegetable phos and the lighter dishes,

I had never worked with spring roll wraps before, so I was a little intimidated.

I decided to watch a Youtube video that demonstrated how to work with these spring roll wraps. I quickly realized there was nothing to be intimidated about . It is very easy, and if you can wrap a present you can wrap a spring roll.

The Vietnamese spring roll wrappers were somewhat hard to find at first, None of the local supermarkets carried them or even knew what I was talking about. Then when I gave up looking, I spotted these simple and inexpensive spring roll wraps in Whole Foods.


                           


I bought them immediately and brought them home to attempt my new recipe.

The results: They came out great! My husband really liked them! They were a hit!

Author: Judee Algazi from Gluten Free A-Z Blog
Prep Time: 20-25 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Assemble Time: 2 minutes per wrap

Ingredients for the filling
1 pkg. of broccoli slaw ( supermarket, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's)
1 pkg. sliced white mushrooms
1 pkg of sprouts of any kind
small nappa cabbage, shredded 
1/2 cup raw peanuts
2 stalks of lemon grass, sliced
4 cloves of garlic pressed
1/2 finger of fresh ginger grated
optional: 1/4 cup raw fresh cranberries, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 Pkg. of spring rolls
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
any other fresh herbs you want to add

How to make the fillingInstructions for filling: 
Saute garlic and ginger for a minute in 2 TBSP of sesame oil and some oil spray. Add 2 cups of broccoli slaw, 2 cups of shredded nappa cabbage, 1 pkg mushrooms, lemon grass, and peanuts, salt and pepper. Sautee quickly until the greens wilt and the mushrooms begin to soften just a little.( This mixture should not be overcooked) Remove the cooked mixture from skillet and place it  onto a plate, so it does not continue to cook. Mix with fresh herbs and set aside.

How to assemble the wrap 
Instructions for wraps: 
Roll the wraps one by one. 
1. Place a wrap in a flat plate of water until it becomes pliable,not sticky
2. Lay wrap on a plate and fill with 1/4 cup of filling. Bring up the two sides and then the ends. 
3. ladle some peanut sauce on the wrap and serve. 
4. we ate it with a fork and knife because mine were very full ( in the restaurant people picked it up and were able to eat it??)

How to Make the Peanut sauce: 
In a blender , blend  1/2 cup peanut butter or almond butter ,  1/4 cup  peanuts, juice of one lime or lemon, juice of 1/2 orange, 1 T toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp of red pepper , 1 T of gluten free soy sauce or Braggs Amino  is what I used.

Ingredients for the filling

one spring roll wrapper

Dip the spring roll in water to soften 

My notes:
1. You can use bags of shredded cabbage and carrot instead of shredding your own to make them a little quicker and with less cleanup. 
2. Trader Joe's and some supermarkets sell a container of small cubes of frozen herbs like garlic, basil , ginger, etc.

Have you ever made these before? Eaten them before? Seen them before? I would love to know your opinion of this type of spring roll.

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