Thursday, December 28, 2006

Raw Spring Rolls

This is a Thai dish and was very easy once I found the ingredients. Makes 20 and is good for appetizers at a party (say a Christmas Eve party for example). Definitely meant as part of a meal for many, many people.

Ingredients:
1 package of 20 rice paper wrappers (round or square)
150g dried rice vermicelli
1 mango, julienne
1 Lebanese cucumber, julienne
1/2 avacado, julienne
2 inch section of negi (or 1 scallion), sliced on the diagonal
2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 Tbsp chopped fresh green herb (I used mistuba because coriander is not available in Japan)
1Tbsp sweet chilli sauce + more for dipping

Method:
1. Place the vermicelli in a large bowl, cover with boiling water, and leave for 5 minutes (or until softened). [I didn't wait long enough and they were a bit hard so the longer the better.] Then strain and cut in half.
2. Add the mango, cucumber, avacado, onion, mint, mitsuba, and chilli sauce and mix well.
3. Prepare the rice paper wrappers according to the directions (I soaked mine one at a time in warm water for around 30 seconds each just before using it). Lay out flat on the counter, place some of the filling in the middle (probably around 3-4 Tbsp sized). Fold the sides of the wrapper in and then roll from the bottom to the top. Repeat until all the filling is gone.
4. Serve cold with sweet chilli sauce for dipping.