Easy and Delicious Vegetable Spring Rolls and Cold Noodle Salad

We did it! We made delicious vegetable spring rolls and an Asian noodle salad – that are so flavorful – at home! One of my favorite appetizers is a vegetable spring roll – the translucent wrapper hints at the fresh, crisp vegetables and herbs inside. Each bite is an explosion of fresh flavors with a hint of a sweet and tangy from the sauce. And ever the tinker, I enjoyed spicing-it-up with the dipping sauce and hot garlic chili sauce. Yum! And, yes you can make it at home.

This week my family has been along for a culinary joy ride as I’ve followed one craving after another – spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread; pan-sauted trout with polenta and last night grilled steaks with Asian sides. Cooking and eating together is a gift we give and share together.

Give these wonderful recipes a try. You’ll need to pick-up some special ingredients in the ethnic/Asian section of the grocery store – you’ll be so thrilled that you did! Consider making the Vegetable Springs Rolls as a family project. I made them with my husband; he had a knack for creating beautiful rolls. I prepped the roll ingredients and he ‘wrapped and rolled.’  We doubled the sauce, made about 13 rolls and used hot chili sauce as a piquant dipping sauce.

Today, we are vying for the leftovers!

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Makes 4 large rolls

Ingredients

For peanut sauce

• 3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter (we used crunchy, smooth would also work)
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon ketchup

For the spring rolls

• 1 ounce bean thread noodles (cellophane noodles)
• 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
• 4 (8-inch) rice-paper rounds, plus additional in case some tear
• 2 red-leaf lettuce leaves, ribs cut out and discarded and leaves halved
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves (preferably Thai, regular is also delicious)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced Napa  or Savoy cabbage
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/3 cup coarsely shredded carrot (1 medium)

Preparation

Make sauce:

Sauté onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes in oil in a small saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, about 4 minutes, until onions are cooked through and pale golden in color. Whisk in remaining sauce ingredients. Simmer, whisking for another 1 minute. Remove pan from the heat to cool.

Make rolls:

Cover noodles with boiling-hot water and soak 15 minutes, then drain well in a sieve. Pat dry between paper towel or kitchen towel and toss with seasoned rice vinegar and salt to taste.

Put a clean kitchen towel on a work surface and fill a shallow baking pan with warm water. Soak 1 rice-paper round (make sure there are no holes) in warm water until pliable, 30 seconds to 1 minute, then transfer to kitchen towel.

Arrange 1 piece of lettuce on bottom half of soaked rice paper, folding or tearing to fit and leaving a 1-inch border along edge. Spread one fourth of peanut sauce over lettuce and top with one fourth each of mint, basil, cabbage, and noodles. Roll up rice paper tightly around filling and, after rolling halfway, arrange one fourth of cilantro and carrot along crease. Then fold in sides and continue rolling. Transfer roll to a serving plate and cover with dampened paper towels or a kitchen towel.

Make 3 more rolls in same manner. Serve rolls halved on the diagonal with any remaining sauce in a small bowl as a dip.

Notes and suggestions: Summer rolls may be made 6 hours ahead and chilled, wrapped in dampened paper towels in a sealed plastic bag. Bring rolls to room temperature before halving and serving.

Optional other additions: thin avocado slices, mung bean springs, firm tofu slices.

Adapted from: Gourmet, May 2001

Delicious Asian Vegetable Noodle Salad

Serves 6-8 (can be doubled to feed a crowd)

Ingredients

• 8 ounces thin Chinese egg noodles (dried or fresh)
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sesame paste, almond butter, or peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon or more chili-garlic sauce
• 4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
• ½ bunch of fresh cilantro, stems trimmed, diced

Select a variety of these:

• ½ a medium savoy or napa cabbage
• mung bean sprouts
• 3 carrots thinly sliced like match-sticks
• ½ package of firm tofu
• 2 small cucumbers, sliced into thin 1” match-sticks
• 1 red, yellow or orange pepper, sliced into thin 1” match-sticks

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook the noodles until tender yet firm, following the directions on the package. Drain the noodles and shock in ice-cold water. Drain again.

In a large bowl whisk together the vinegar, sesame paste, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and chili-garlic sauce until smooth. Add the noodles and toss well to distribute the sauce evenly throughout. Toss to mix in the scallions and cilantro along with the proteins and additional vegetables of your choice.  Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

This dish can be made ahead. The leftovers are…DELISH.

Adapted from Noodles Every Day: Delicious Asian Recipes from Ramen to Rice Sticks by Corinne Trang (Epicurious, July 2009) and available in the Mama Says online Amazon Store.

Enjoy! Thanks for joining us in the kitchen.

Enjoyed this post? See these:

1. Clean, Shop, Cook – three easy steps to a great meal
2. Family Fiesta Night – Southwest Cuisine
3. Thrifty Thursday: Spaghetti Sauce (Semi-homemade)

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Tags: homemade asian dishes, peanut noodles, sesame egg noodles, thai spring rolls

This entry was posted on Monday, August 31st, 2009 at 3:41 pm and is filed under Mama Says, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.