Spring Rolls

I, like everyone else it seems, could use a little detox after the holiday gorge fest. I get a little bored with regular old “healthy” type food and prefer to keep it real. As in real food, minimally processed that packs lots of nutrition and flavor. This the spring roll. Easy, healthy, and switches it up a little.

The specialty items you’ll need:
Rice Paper
Rice Noodles
I found these in the Asian section at HEB but you can also get them at places like Thai Fresh and other Asian markets.

Siracha and Soy Sauce for dipping if you like.

As for your fresh ingredients:
Cabbage
Cilantro
Cucumber
Carrots
Shrimp

Peel the cucumber.

Then slice the ends off and cut it in half.

Use a spoon to scrape out the flesh.

Thinly slice the cucumber.

Now cut the thin slices into thirds. Set aside.

Peel off some cabbage leaves. Wash and pat them dry.

Slice them into thin strips about the same size as the cucumber.

In a boiling pot of water, place a handful of rice noodles. You don’t need much and these cook pretty quickly! Some only require about a minute in the boiling water, depends on the width and thickness of the noodle.

They kinda stay stuck together while they cook unless you separate them. In this case, it’s ok for them to stick together.

After removing from water, I let mine rest and dry out just a tad.

Ok, now for the challenging part: Rice paper. Look! It’s already starting to curl just holding it over the pot. It’s a delicate ingredient.

And my first attempt was an utter fail, haha.

Discard that one and move on.

Ok, it’s not perfect but definitely something I can work with. To do this, I dipped the rice paper in the water very quickly and had the plate right next to the stove. I laid it out as quickly as possible. Boom.

Now for the fun part! Place the shrimp flat on the cooked rice paper.

Layer the cabbage and cucumber slices over the shrimp.

Now add carrot slices and cilantro.

Top with a thin layer of cooked rice noodles and your ready to roll it up! The rice paper will be a little sticky and should roll up nicely.

Ready to eat!

I dipped mine in some siracha and soy sauce, yummy! Enjoy!