Along with a great dip you can either serve these for lunch, snacks, or as an appetizer to a great meal. Either way they don't require an oven so you can keep your cool! I stored them in an airtight container in the fridge with a moist paper towel over top.
What are rice paper wrappers, you ask? Rice paper for salad rolls are typically sold in the ethnic or Asian area of your grocery store, in plastic wheel shaped containers, like pictured below.
They are hard, round things that you have to soak briefly in warm water to soften so you can roll them. Rice paper is kind of thin so it takes a little practice to soak, fill, and roll it without tearing, but I know you can do it!
Ingredients:
125 g rice vermicelli noodles
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup bean sprouts, lightly chopped
1/2 cup long English cucumber, julienned
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup mint, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 tsp sesame oil
14 six inch rice paper wrappers
...and a batch of peanut sauce
Directions:
Put the vermicelli noodles in a large bowl, then pour boiling water over top until they are covered. Put a pan or something on top to cover and let them soak until tender, or about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Let the noodles sit and drain for about 5-10 minutes. You want to get all the water out of them or when you add the dressing, it will get watered down and runny.
Chop up the noodles a bit so they aren't in such long strands. Mix them in a bowl with the carrots, cucumber, green onion, mint, cilantro, and sesame oil, then toss with enough of the peanut sauce to coat (about 1/3 of the batch). Set aside.
Pour about 2 inches of hot water into a pie plate and completely submerge a rice paper wrapper. Let it sit for about 10-15 seconds until it's softened. Remove from the water, let the excess drip off, and carefully lay it on the counter in front of you.
It's hard to get it perfectly flat on the counter. Don't worry about that.
Mound about 1/4-1/3 cup of the noodle filling near the edge closest to you, in a log shape. I took the photo on an angle, but you would have this turned and the noodles/avocado facing you.
Fold the sides in and, rolling away from yourself, tightly roll that baby up.
Set the finished salad roll on a plate that is covered with a damp paper towel. Continue with the rest of the rice paper wrappers. As the water cools in the pie plate, you will have to top it up to make it warm again.
Serve on a plate garnished with chopped fresh chiles, green onion, and peanuts with the peanut sauce on the side to dip. These don't keep well, you need to eat them the same day.
Makes about 14 rolls
Adapted from Whitewater Cooks With Friends
