Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls

These spring rolls take a little patience to assemble, but they taste super fresh and are really healthy as well. I found the right kind of spring roll wrappers at Whole Foods in London, and used them up already, but am keeping an eye out for them in Birmingham. Let me know if you spot them anywhere!

They are best served with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce for dipping, but would also be good with a peanut satay sauce!

Ingredients:

1 pack spring roll rice paper wrappers (8.5 inch diameter)

1 pack ready-to-wok (pre-cooked) thin vermicelli rice noodles, separated into portions matching the number of spring roll wrappers

1 carrot, peeled, then grated into long slices with a carrot peeler

1 cucumber, peeled, then grated into long slices with a carrot peeler

1 bunch mixed baby salad greens

200g cooked prawns, tails off, sliced in half from head to tail

fresh coriander, leaves picked

fresh mint, leaves picked

Directions:

1. If you can't find pre-cooked rice noodles, then follow the pack directions to soften the noodles. Otherwise, follow the pack directions for softening the spring roll wrappers. I basically filled a large frying pan with warm/hot water and let it cool a bit. Spread a damp tea towel on the kitchen counter next to your pan of water for assembling the rolls.

2. Start by immersing one wrapper in the water, and let it sit until softened, 10-15 seconds. When soft and pliable (it should feel silky), remove it from the water and lay it on the tea towel. Dab the excess water off with a dry tea towel. The wrapper should be slightly sticky.

3. Place one portion of rice noodles towards the bottom edge of the wrapper. Lay several lettuce leaves over the noodles and top the lettuce with 5-6 pieces of prawns. Over the prawns, lay a few slices each of carrot and cucumber gratings, then sprinkle over coriander and mint leaves.

4. Fold roll like a burrito: take bottom edge (closest too you) and fold it over the filling until the wrapper edge touches the wrapper on the opposite side of the filling. The edges should stick together slightly. Next, fold each side edge in just enough to enclose either end of the filling. Last, roll the filled end over until the wrap is rolled up. Note: The tighter you can manage to wrap the rolls, the better chance you have that they won't fall apart. It takes a little practice.

5. Serve wraps immediately with sweet chili sauce or a peanut satay sauce. If you need to store them, I usually lay them on a damp paper towel in a Tupperware container, and then lay another wet paper towel over the tops before closing the lid. This will keep the wraps from drying out.