Spring Rolls.

Yum. I want more already.



There isn't necessarily a recipe for these spring rolls. It's more about the fresh veggies to use along with the cutting and slicing. My mother in law has been making these for us for years and she always uses the best and freshest ingredients. The way I make them is the way she taught me and I'll tell you, Jack and I could eat them all day everyday. They are that good. They're also super healthy and crazy simple to make. There's no way to mess these up. Unless you're me and realize you forgot to cook the noodles once you prepared everything, you dipped the rice paper in the water ready to assemble and it becomes one with the plate :)

You'll need-

Rice paper- You can find them at any World Market or your local Asian store. We have a couple of Korean stores in the area that we go to.
Rice/Glass noodles- You can also find these at the same places as the rice paper. Maybe even your local market.
Romaine lettuce leaves
Carrots
Cucumber
Cilantro
Avocado
Chicken or any protein of your choice. I make them vegetarian for me and with chicken for Jack.
Siracha or a hot sauce of your choice. Siracha works great. We use one that we buy at the Korean store and has the seeds in it (it has a green lid), you can either get this one or Siracha. We also add a few drops of lemon and stir some of the sauce in a bowl.



You start by cutting everything. Tear romaine lettuce leaves whole and wash them. I used red leaf lettuce this time because the romaine wasn't the freshest. The carrots I slice them in thin little strings, almost as if you grate them but you just can't get the same effect unless you have a mandolin to do this. Use a good knife. Same goes for the cucumber, we use English cucumber because they are just so darn good but regular cucumber works just as well. It takes a while to do this cut but trust me, it just makes it taste better and looks prettier. That's the way my MIL taught me, she's crazy neat about her cooking, and I make them like this every single time. Trim the cilantro (stem and all) and set aside with the lettuce, carrots and cucumber on a plate for easy access and assembly. You can add the avocado any way you like, I slice it and take the skin off then put it on a plate fanned out.

To prepare the noodles-
Put some water in a pot and wait for it to boil. Add the noodles and cook for a few minutes, they really don't take long at all and you'll get mush if you leave them in there for too long. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking any further. Set aside in a bowl.



Rice paper-
These are a little tricky. Put some water in a deep pan, heat up but not to the point of boiling, you want it to be hot but not too hot. You'll be dipping the rice paper in it for just a few seconds. You will see it turn clear. Same rule applies to these as the noodles. If you leave the paper in the water for too long, it will get super sticky and hard to work with. I take a sheet with both hands by two fingers and kind of rotate the sheet in the water, if that makes any sense, until I've soaked it all up then I take it out and lay it on a large flat plate.

Construction-
After you have everything prepared, get the rice paper sheet, dip it in the water, lay it on a flat plate and get to work! I arrange the leaf of lettuce first, add the noodles, carrots, cucumber, cilantro, avocado, the protein if you're using any, and a little bit of the hot sauce. I then fold the sides and roll it like a burrito! After you eat one, you'll want to eat them all and everyday. You can also put pretty much anything you like in them. One time my MIL put apple in them and I looked at her like huh? I tried the roll and it was so good with apple. It gives it a little bit of sweetness and crunch, if you're into that kind of stuff ;)



Also, another tip I can give you is to not make them all at once. Jack and I make them as we eat them. If you want to take them for lunch the next day and want to make them in advance, wrap them in saran wrap and put in the fridge in a container. The rice paper and noodles will harden a little but they will still taste good.

Have you made these and added anything else? Let me know!

Enjoy!