Thursday, March 18, 2010

Recipe Rusday: Crafty Fresh Spring Rolls (Yup Nim Chow)

Spring rolls, 2/14/10.

When Danielle and her friend were in town last month, Chris and I were trying to plan a few fun meals to make together while they were here. Our friend Elizabeth had recently had a dinner party with lots of people, where we all made spring rolls for dinner. Filling, affordable, and fun to make. Plus, it borders on a craft-night, for me. I had made these at home in the past, but had forgotten how good they are. They're perfect for the new spring weather!
Another batch (this time with grilled shrimp), 3/21/10.
Ingredients
Spring Roll Wrappers
Rice Noodles (optional)
Flavored tofu (optional)
Bean Sprouts
Carrots, julienned or shredded
Avocado, sliced thin
Cilantro
Peanuts, smashed up or chopped,
and some kind of dipping sauce (peanut sauce, sesame/wasabi dipping oil, etc).

Ingredient Notes: Use the ingredients you have! Use mint instead of cilantro, shrimp instead of tofu, lettuce or rice instead of the noodles-- the options are endless. The wrappers, noodles and bean sprouts can be found in an Asian market (and will be more affordable there, than say, WholeFoods).

Directions: Cook the noodles in boiling water according to the package directions (only a minute or two, until tender). Then, lay every ingredient out in an assembly line, setting the wrappers next to a wide larger bowl of room temperature water.

Dip one wrapper into the water until flexible and lay out on a plate. Now fill the roll with cooked noodles, and vegetables. Add the sauce before folding the roll up like a burrito, or use as dipping sauce after.

** For more recipes, check out the RedPepperFlakes Recipe Archives.