There has been an expression on The Farm. Maybe you use it too, that is, the word “vehicle” in reference to food. For example, a slice of bread is a vehicle for peanut butter, a tortilla, a vehicle for beans and other fixin’s.
Think of Vietnamese Rice Wraps as a vehicle for just about anything! But they are especially great for getting more raw food into your diet. I am not a raw foodie, but I do believe there are benefits for incorporating raw food, for the vitamins, the enzymes. as well as the roughage.
With Vietnamese Spring Rolls, while the rice paper itself is not raw, the variety if vegetables you can put inside are virtually endless and up to your imaginations. Of course, you are not limited to raw vegies. I also like to put strips of fried tofu or tempeh inside mine as well. Here are some step by step images to get you going.
You’ll find the rice paper wraps available in the oriental food section of most groceries.
First, dip the wrap in warm water. I put the water in a frying pan just slightly larger than the wrap.
It immediately turns soft and almost transparent.
Arrange your vegies. Be sure to leave some space for folding over the ends of the wrap.
I have shredded carrot, beet, sliced red cabbage, avocado, red pepper, and to top it off, some lettuce and cilantro from the garden. Carefully lift the wrap off your surface (a damp cutting board works well – It won’t stick!). Fold the sides over.
Fold the ends over, and then begin rolling. Keep the insides tight and firm.
The secret to the flavor in a spring roll is the sauce. Above, peanut sauce to the left, plum sauce on the right. In the middle, pickled ginger! A huge yum!