Rainbow Fruity Rice Paper Rolls
Rice paper rolls originate from Vietnam, but they are gaining popularity across the world and particularly in the foodie world. They are a bit like spring rolls, except much healthier as they are fresh not fried, and often much bigger too. Ingredients inside rice paper rolls are usually raw, so they are a great way to bulk in some veggies. You can add cooked tofu, mushrooms and noodles to make them more filling.
Rice paper rolls make a perfect dish to pack for a summer picnic on the beach with friends, awesome finger food if you are hosting a dinner party, and even an excellent option to pack for lunches the next day. Since the papers are made from rice, they are also gluten free, so they can easily cater for any intolerances or allergies. The addition of fruit to these ones make them super pretty to look at, you could even fool kids into eating salad with this trick! I have also included an easy dipping sauce recipe, but they also go great dipped in tamari soy sauce or sweet chilli.
Also, whenever I am making rice paper rolls I always find a have a random assortment of cut up veggies and noodles left over at the end, if I have run out of rice paper or I don’t need to make anymore, rather than throwing the left over ingredients out I throw them in a container, mix them around and drizzle some of the dipping sauce over the top and store in the fridge as a fresh salad for tomorrow’s lunch!
Nutritional facts!
Adding some cooked rice noodles adds bulk to the rolls to fill you up for longer
Pan fried tofu and edamame beans give this dish more protein which will also make them more filling. Protein is also essential to help us build and restore muscle, especially important for all us young and active girls.
The dipping sauce contains 100% natural peanut butter, peanuts are rich in mono-unsaturated fats, we need these healthy fats to help us absorb other nutrients, produce hormones and keep our levels of fats in our blood healthy. (plus peanut butter tastes amazing!!)
Eating a rainbow of fruit and vegetables each day ensures you are getting a wide variety of different vitamins and minerals. Having them fresh in these rolls means you will be getting the full benefits. As my motto goes; Eat More Plants!
All of the ingredients I have used are optional, you can use as many of these fruits and vegetables or add different types. They are a good way to use up any left-over veggies or fruit in the fridge.
Recipe:
GF, DF, V
makes approximately 12-14 rolls
Ingredients:
12 rice paper wrappers
150 grams thin rice noodles (vermicelli) [cooked per packet instructions]
100g firm tofu [sliced and lightly pan fried in sesame oil]
¼ cup edamame beans [defrosted and removed from pod]
(see note)
1 carrot [grated with a julienne peeler]
½ capsicum [finely sliced]
1 cup lettuce (any variety) [shredded finely]
1 cup bean sprouts
1 mushrooms [sliced finely]
1 spring onion [sliced finely]
1/3 cucumber [sliced finely]
1 cup red cabbage [sliced finely]
1 avocado [sliced finely]
4-5 strawberries [sliced finely]
½ kiwi fruit [sliced finely]
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
½ cup herbs (coriander and mint are my favs)
1 round slice of dragon fruit [diced]
Note: Edamame beans are soy beans I buy frozen from my asian supermarket, if you can’t find them just add extra tofu (they are what tofu is made from)
Dipping sauce:
2 tbsp natural peanut butter
2 tbsp tamari soy sauce
juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sesame seeds
water: until reaches desired consistency
optional: chilli flakes to taste
How to make:
Follow instructions beside each vegetable and fruit for how to prepare. Arrange all of the ingredients on a big chopping board/plate and have handy for constructing the rolls.
Run a rice paper wrapper under cool running water- just enough to completely wet each side (I sometimes like to wet my hands and wipe them over the bench to lightly wet it) place it on the clean wet bench/surface.
First thing you want to lay down is the ingredient you want showing in the roll. For example, if I want the roll to display strawberry slices, I lay them down then cover them with a pile of different veggies, noodles, herbs and tofu/edamame. You don’t want to overfill as they might break when your rolling them, sometimes it just requires some patience and practice until you work out the perfect amount of filling and the best way to roll them. For me, I have found what works best is making a pile of around ½ to ¾ of a cup of filling ingredients, lined down the centre, then I carefully lift the bottom and fold it over, followed by one of the sides, then the top, and then I roll the whole roll over once or twice to seal the final edge. Place it on a plate or baking tray, be careful not to let the made up rolls touch each-other, or you might not get them apart again.
Repeat with the remaining rice paper wrappers (always wet the rice paper wrapped directly before making each one- if you wet them all at the beginning they become too soft and will just tear)
To make the dipping sauce: add all ingredients to a jar, seal it and shake.
Serve whole, or slice into bite sized pieces, dip in the sauce and enjoy your healthy rainbow rolls!
Hope you enjoy this fresh and delicious recipe. Check out other recipes of Elsa's below:
Remember to tag @volcomwomens_oz @elsas_wholesomelife and use #ElsaXVolcom to show us your creations
