veggie spring rolls

I was at a loss for dinner last night - lots of good stuff in the box, but most of it seemed to be more appropriate for 'sides' rather than 'mains'. I'm halfway through Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (the Taproot 'book club' book) and had just finished the chapter in which they hosted a big birthday party and made spring rolls for their vegan friends. So I was already thinking about them, uncertain whether that would be enough for dinner or what I would serve them with, when I pulled out a mystery jar from the box. On opening it, I discovered it was plum sauce! The universe conspired - spring rolls it was.

They're easy, if a bit fiddly, to make, and much easier if you follow the directions in Kingsolver's book by rolling the rice paper wrap bit by bit, rather than trying to roll it around all the stuffing at once (which is how I used to make them). I'll write out what I put in them, but you can experiment with stuffings of your own.

Spring rolls

rice paper wraps

1-2 carrots, julienned

cucumber, julienned

radish, julienned

pea shoots, stripped off the tough stems

lettuce

dipping sauces: plum sauce, soy sauce, thai sweet&sour

Get everything ready. Place a wrap in a shallow bowl or pan of water, as hot as you can stand. When it softens, put it on a plate and cover it with lettuce leaves. Starting at one side, put in a filling, roll the wrap a bit, put in another filling, until you run out of fillings or wrap. Seal the wrap closed with the last bit of rice paper, then place on a platter covered with a damp cloth until ready to serve. Serve with a variety of dipping sauces.

It made for a light, but tasty dinner. Ria liked the dipping but just licked off the sauce rather than biting the spring roll!

-Kathy