Springtime is for Spring Rolls

Tracy Thai shares its favorite recipe

Spring is in the air, and as the weather begins to warm up, we’re often left craving something light and fresh. Owner of Tracy Thai, Gesaranee understands our craving and has shared with us her recipe for the “Fresh Roll” – Tracy Thai’s take on a traditional spring roll. She describes the roll as a light and healthy option. “It’s like you’re eating salad in a roll,” she says. When making your own at home, you can use any kind of fruit or vegetable inside. For a vegan option, you can even use fresh steamed Tofu instead of meat. But no matter what you decide to fill yours with, these delicious spring rolls are the perfect snack for the season.

Fresh roll ingredients:

Rice paper

Vermicelli rice noodles

Steamed shrimp

Ground marinated chicken

Lettuce

Carrots

Cilantro

Peanut Dipping Sauce Ingredients:

Crunchy peanut butter

Curry paste

Coconut milk (use to thin the sauce to dipping consistency)

Pinch of salt

Pinch of sugar

Assembly steps to making a spring roll

  1. Marinate ground chicken with salt, sugar, and soy sauce. Then, cook in a skillet. Set aside.
  2. Steam your shrimp. Set aside.
  3. Boil the rice noodles until they are soft like cooked spaghetti. Set aside.
  4. Soak the rice paper in warm water until the entire sheet is wet. Now the sheet will be more flexible for you to roll. Place it on a damp towel. This will help keep the sheet moist while you are filling it with the ingredients
  5. To assemble your roll, take eight to ten inches of rice paper and first layer the shrimp, then top with vegetables and ground chicken. Lastly, add the cooked rice noodles.
  6. To roll, take the sheet and pull it forward on top of the filling to cover it. Then fold the side in and keep rolling. When you’re rolling, squeeze it in so it’s tight. You don’t want it to be loose. Roll it forward and try to make it as tight as possible until you get to the end.
  7. Serve with the peanut sauce.

Tip:

Be careful when wrapping your roll because the rice paper is thin and very easy to break. Using warm water rather than cold water will help make the paper more flexible. You can also double wrap your roll if needed.