With huge risk comes huge reward. That’s what they say, right? Such was my first venture into the world of homemade spring rolls. As I told Grub Street last month, I never leave Whole Foods without picking up their delicious pre-made version from the sushi counter — so I was determined to create a similar version as an appetizer for my dinner party guests this past Saturday night. I was petrified, having never done this before and wondering how difficult it would be to handle the gelatinous papers. But guess what? The spring rolls were much easier to assemble than I expected, and B (and all of our friends) loved em! I know he doesn’t look thrilled in the photo, but trust me, he liked em.
I scoured for recipes until I found this delightful one — with a super helpful step-by-step photo tutorial — on White on Rice Couple‘s blog. [I’ve bookmarked a number of their other recipes as well — so it’s worth clicking around their site.] I followed their instructions to a T, and you should too.
I asked the guys at the Whole Foods sushi counter which rice papers they use to wrap their spring rolls, and one of them walked me to the Asian food aisle where I picked up the ones pictured below. You can make two rolls from each paper, and since there are about 100 papers in the package, you will have plenty to test on/mess up/throw away (as I did) and still have plenty to store in a ziploc bag for another night of spring roll making (as I also did). The other beauty of making your own spring rolls is that you can put whatever you want in them, and there is no exact math. You want some loaded with peppers and others with cucumbers? Knock yourself out. Want to add shrimp? Go for it.
And what’s that delectable looking sauce in the center of the tray? Why that’s Noah’s Knockout Sweet Chili Drizzle — you remember that one, right?!
Your turn now! The ultimate stuffed veggie spring roll recipe: White on Rice Couple
