summer rolls

i can’t even remember the first time i had summer rolls, but it was long, long ago. i remember the first time i tried to make them, it was a disaster. looking back, i’m not entirely sure why, but i just could not wrap my head around rice paper back then.

anyway, i have long since figured it out, and now i can whip up a batch of summer rolls in just a few minutes. they are so tasty and filling, but full of raw veggies which makes me very happy.

you can really put whatever you want in them, but i prefer to stick mostly to fresh veggies - traditionally you’d use rice or bean noodles, but i feel like the rice paper is enough carb-wise and i use spinach or lettuce as filler.

ingredients:

spinach or lettuce
fresh basil, if possible
large rice paper rounds
marinated tofu sticks
grated or matchsticked veggies
i use:
red pepper
green onion
grated carrot
avocado

*note* ingredients are absolutely changeable. nothing is mandatory, and i encourage you to use whatever you like!

to make:

i like to marinate tofu a day in advance - it gives it lots of time to absorb the flavours. this time, i mixed 1 T soy sauce, 1 T sesame oil and 2 t honey mustard in a little tupperware:

and shook it all up with some tofu:

the next day, it was nice and marinated:

for the other ingredients, you want a slice or two of each vegetable per roll. estimate. it’s fine! if you have fresh basil, a leaf or two per roll is awesome. if not, don’t worry, it’ll still be good!

before you start rolling, get everything ready - have your veggies cut, carrot grated, spinach ready to go, etc.

fill a large bowl or pan with hot water - as hot as your tap will make it. take a rice paper round:

and stick it in the water.

after a minute or two, you’ll see it get soft.

gently pull it out of the water, and spread on the counter. on the bottom-centre, lay out your
veggies, tofu, basil.

then add a handful of spinach or lettuce.

roll. similarly to how you would a burrito. start by folding the bottom of the rice paper up, over the veggies:

then, fold the sides in, to hold everything tightly:

then, roll:

once, rolled, stick on a plate and move on to the next one. the rice paper will stick to itself after a few seconds.

serve with peanut butter dippy!