Thai Cold Spring Rolls

Thai Cold Spring Rolls

Anything goes inside the rolls, but I would most likely always include the carrot mixture, some sort of meat or egg, and some sort of leaf (spinach or lettuce) or bean sprouts. The recipe I use doesn’t call for rice vermicelli noodles, but we’ve always used them in the filling. Another must for us is the Chinese Peeanut Sauce for dipping!

These rolls can be made up slightly ahead for serving, or they can be assembled at the table (my kids prefer to fill their own).

Carrot mixture:
1 or 2 cups of carrots, grated
½ tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
½ tsp salt

Some filling ideas:
chicken breast sliced thin
spinach, lettuce or bean sprouts
egg yolks fried and julienned
cilantro
(rice vermicelli noodles, cooked)


-Mix carrot, pepper, salt, sugar and vinegar; reserve.
-Prepare all the other filling items.
-Briefly soak the rice papers in very hot water just until they begin to soften.
-Layer all ingredients on the rice paper and roll. Serve with peanut sauce.
**Don’t refrigerate before serving as they will harden.

Chinese Peanut Sauce (from Moosewood Cookbook, Mollie Katzen)

½ cup good peanut butter
½ cup hot water
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
2 or 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 to 2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro (I’ve omitted sometimes; still good)
cayenne to taste
salt to taste (if peanut butter is unsalted)

1) Place peanut butter in a small bowl. Add the hot water, and stir patiently with a spoon or a small whisk until uniformly mixed.
2) Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Let come to room temperature before serving.