Wintery Spring Rolls – IHCC’s Food Goal

Our food goals are simple and straightforward. There are none. Food that are wholesome, natural and seasonal get the nod. We cook food that’s nourishing, something we want to eat. If there are any goals: it’s everything in moderation, no dogma and no fad. Farm to table or sea to table as much as feasible — in a sense, more about sustainability, than any personal food goals. Visit IHCC and find out which food goals are popular among food bloggers.

These spring rolls not only go on the dining table. They can be packed when you are on the road or brought as appetizers to dinner parties. Eating well even on the go.

I like all the fresh ingredients that go into the spring rolls. Ginger, green onions, brown sugar, garlic, tofu and mushroom. The only processed component is the rice wrapper. As much as I can gather on the ingredient list, it is made with tapioca flour and rice starch. A product of Vietnam.

First, make the ginger onion paste and cook the tofu and mushroom. Next comes the assembly by folding the lettuce greens, tofu and mushroom fillings with the wrappers.

I have not used this kind of spring roll rice wrappers for years. They come in 8 1/2 inch rounds. I don’t remember them being finicky to work with. But they are. They were sticky to the touch even when I did not over-soak them, as Heidi Swanson reminded us in the recipe. Imagine using cling wrap that sticks on to itself and everything it touches. It was like that from the first, second, third trials and on. Eventually I folded the round wrap onto itself to make a half round (the way Heidi did it with her open-sided roll), basically creating a two-layer wrap. That did it. It added strength to the wrappers and avoided the clinging. However, I’m not keen on the rubbery texture of the wrappers.

Fillings folded in a single layer of wrapper

Fillings folded in a double-layer of wrapper

Note on storage: if you don’t eat the spring rolls right away, keep the rolls moist by storing them in an air-tight container or covering with a moistened paper towel or cloth, to prevent the wrappers from drying out.