Vietnamese Spring Rolls

My absolute favourite food this summer, or rather, that one week back in April, is Vietnamese style spring rolls.  Unlike their deep fried Chinese counterpart (which I also love, don't get me wrong) these little babies are served just as they are, and are the perfect accompaniment to a sunny day and a glass of wine in the garden.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls


Ingredients:

1 packet of Vietnamese spring roll wrappers
1 cucumber
1 large carrot
1 small iceberg lettuce
1 block of firm tofu
3-4 spring onions
Fresh mint
Fresh coriander
Sesame Oil
Sweet chili sauce


Method:

Slice all the vegetables into thin strips and chop the fresh herbs.

Slice the tofu into square fingers and fry lightly on all sides.  Sprinkle with a little bit of salt and set aside.

Boil some water in a jug and find something shallow, that's big enough to dip the spring roll wrappers into (I use a black shallow oven tray).

Set up a wee production line, with the tray, a clean tea towel and a plate, with the veggies and tofu close to hand.  Fill the tray with boiling water and dip the first wrapper in.  Leave it in till just soft (or it will become unpliable), dry it on the tea towel and set it out on the plate.

Fill the wrapper with a few strips of each veggie, a strip of tofu, a sprinkling of fresh herbs and a good few drops of sesame oil.

Fold the front part of the wrapper over the veggies, tuck in the sides and roll up tightly.  Repeat the process until all of the wrappers have been filled.  Cut each long roll in half and serve on a plate with sweet chili. MMMmmmmmmm