Making the rice paper roll consists of 3 steps. First making the stuffing which are the vegetables here. The next is making the peanut sauce (or you can use the ready Thai sweet chilli sauce which tastes great as well) and finally assembling everything and making the roll.
Ingredients:
A packet of rice paper roll (should be available in stores that have International/Imported ingredients and food).
1/2 cup chopped french beans
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 chopped onion.
2-3 cloves of crushed and chopped garlic.
1 and 1/2 cup of chopped cabbage.
1-2 chopped green chillies (optional-for those who like it spicy).
Some fresh Iceberg Lettuce.
1-2 tbsp of crushed peanuts (use a grinder to make a coarse peanut powder).
Few sprigs of fresh coriander.
1-2 tbsp of sesame oil (can use any other cooking oil if you don't have sesame oil).
1/2 - 3/4 cup of water.
Salt as per your taste.
Sugar- Just a pinch.
Some freshly crushed black pepper.
For the Peanut Sauce:
2-3 tbsp of ready peanut butter.
A bit of grated garlic (optional).
Method: STEP 1: Making the vegetables.
Heat oil.
Once hot add the crushed garlic and the chopped onions. Stir well and cook for about 2 minutes on a medium flame.
Add the chopped french beans.
Add chopped carrots.
And the chopped cabbage.
Stir well and cook on a medium flame. Add salt.
Add freshly crushed pepper. For those who like it spicier you can add 1-2 chopped green chillies as well.
And a pinch of sugar. It is this pinch of sugar that makes the taste magical....
Now add water, stir well and cook for another minute or two.
Strain the water and keep aside as this water will be used for making the peanut sauce.
STEP 2:
To make the peanut sauce:
Take the strained water and add the ready peanut butter into it.
Heat this peanut mixture on a medium flame, stirring occasionally till it thickens or comes to a sauce consistency. You may want to add a bit of salt into it. You can also grate a bit of fresh garlic into it (the garlic is optional though).
You can see how thick the sauce looks, however you can choose the consistency you like and accordingly cook it more or less.
STEP 3: The final and the last step: Making the roll.
The rice paper does not need any cooking here. It is a stiff round sheet.
Take drinking water on a plate and dip the rice paper roll completely in the water. Keep the tips of your fingers touching the rice paper roll to see when the stiffness is gone and the rice paper has turned soft. This is very crucial because if you over soak it the rice paper will tear, however at the same time it should be the right soft so as to be edible. To give you a better idea I timed it and this brand takes a minute of soaking in the water to get to the right edible soft texture.
Once it is soft lift it vertically from the top so all the water is drained off and then keep it on a clean towel. Dab it on top with another clean towel so all the excess water has been soaked up.
While the rice paper is on the towel keep a piece of washed and cleaned iceberg lettuce on it (on the bottom leaving just a little space for rolling upwards).
Add a spoonful of vegetables on the lettuce.
Sprinkle the coarsely crushed peanut powder.
Put a sprig of fresh coriander.
Roll the bottom upwards (like the way you wrap a spring roll)
And folding both sides inwards, make it compact and roll upwards.
Rice paper rolls are ready.
Serve with the sauce of your choice.
Another way of doing it: If you have the patience go ahead....
Take a bigger piece of iceberg lettuce as shown:
Put in all the fillings the same way shown above.
Roll.
Garnish on top with Peanut sauce or have it just like that with the sauce on the side.
RECIPE SOURCE: Thank you Cecil for teaching me so many different dishes including the one above. I always enjoy making rice paper rolls as I feel its a lot of fun....
