Fresh and Crunchy Summer Rice Paper Spring Rolls with a delicious easy Peanut Dipping Sauce are healthy, tasty, and make a super-light dinner, lunch, or appetizer.
The great thing about rice paper is that it does not have to be cooked to eat and are free of oil and fats. It is made of white rice flour, tapioca flour, salt, and water. They can stay fresh for a few months when kept in a sealed container in the fridge.
The most popular protein used in rice paper rolls are shredded chicken or cooked prawns. I have used sliced garlic and chilli spiced chicken breasts.
The most important part is to have all your ingredients washed, sliced and prepped before you begin assembling.
You can use a variety of veggies and even throw in some rice noodles. What I always find necessary is adding a lot of crunch. Bright colour veggies like carrots, cucumbers, peppers, with aromatic coriander are great because they will add lots of crunch and flavour to your spring roll.
I made these for guests at my last tea party and everyone just loved it.
These filling ingredients are flexible. You can use more carrot instead of cucumber, or extra cabbage and some lettuce.
- 300 Gr Chicken Breast Fillets Sliced into Strips
- 1 Tsp Garlic Paste
- 1 Tsp Red Chilli Flakes
- 1 Tsp Onion Powder
- 2 Tbles Sweet Soy Sauce
- Salt to Taste
- 1-2 Tbles Olive Oil
- 12-14 Spring Roll Rice Paper Wrappers
- 1-2 Large Carrots, Peeled and Julienned
- ½ Cucumber, Unpeeled and Julienned
- 1 Red Pepper, Julienned
- 1 Cup Finely Chopped Purple Cabbage
- A Handful of Coriander Chopped
- 300 Gr Cooked Sliced Chicken
- 4 Tblsps Peanut Butter
- 4 Tbles Hoisin Sauce
- 2 Tbles Soy Sauce
- 1 Tsp Garlic Paste
- 1-2 Tsp Red Chilli Paste (adjust to your taste)
- ¼ Cup Lime Juice
- ½ Cup Milk or Water (enough to make into a dipping sauce)
- Season chicken breast slices with garlic paste, red chill flakes, onion powder, sweet soy sauce and salt.
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and stirfry the chicken for 5 -7 minutes or until cooked through. If chicken browns too quickly, lower the heat. Adjust timing depending on the thickness. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and set aside to cool.
- Rice paper is delicate and only needs a quick dip in warm water to soften. Do not “soak” the rice paper for too long because it will break down too quickly, making the rolling more difficult to roll.
- Pour warm water into a large rectangular baking pan.
- Working with one at a time, dip the rice paper wrapper into the warm water for 15-20 seconds. You want the wrapper to be soft, yet still slightly firm and pliable.
- Immediately remove from the water and place flat onto a work surface. Try not to use a wooden board as the wrappers stick to it a little more. Rather use a plastic or ceramic board.
- Place a few sticks of carrot, red pepper, some red cabbage on the bottom ⅓ of the rice paper, add a bit of coriander. Place 2 slices of chicken on top, but remember, to not overstuff the roll.
- Roll everything up tightly. To do so, gently pull up the bottom of the roll and roll over the filling. Then, roll and use your hands to tuck the filling in as you go. It’s basically like you’re rolling a burrito! The width of your fillings will determine the width of the spring roll. You want to leave a couple of inches open on the two sides for wrapping purposes.
- Remember, you want a very tight roll, so fold in the sides of the rice paper roll in order to make it more secure.
- After rolling each, place on a serving plate. Cut in half, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve with peanut sauce.
- Liquidize all the ingredients together until you have a nice smooth sauce.
- Adjust the seasoning to taste and sprinkle with some black sesame seeds.
- Thickness can be adjusted with milk or water once cooled.
