Raw Food Summer Rolls with Rice Paper and Sweet Sour Dip (Recipe Video)
Everyone loves a good sweet and sour dip, especially when there are beautiful summer rolls to accompany it. There’s no marinating or dehydrating time involved in making this party favourite, but you’ve gotta get organised and work systematically. Rice paper wrappers can be tricky to play with and may require some practice at first. They are pretty cheap, so buy extra and remember to have fun practicing. The stunning results are worth the effort!
Here's the step-by-step video on how to make yours! The full recipe is also below...
For the summer rolls:
pack of 12 rice paper wrappers (the ones I use are 22cm/8.5in in diameter)
lettuce leaves
veggies (carrots, cucumbers, red peppers, asparagus, celery and bean sprouts work well)
herbs and flowers (parsley, basil, mint and pansies or other edible flowers)
For the sweet & sour dip:
4 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp agave nectar
4 sundried tomatoes halves in oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 inch fresh ginger
1 tbsp tamari
100g pineapple, chopped into tiny cubes
-Julienne or slice all the veggies into thin long strips. Set them and the herbs out within easy reach of a clean chopping board. Cover the chopping board with kitchen towel.
-Half fill a bowl big enough to fit the rice papers in with hot water, then dunk one at a time until pliable and lay flat over the kitchen towel.
-Arrange two edible flowers or basil leaves, if using, face down in the middle. Top with veggies which won’t blend with the colours of your herbs (carrots over basil leaves or cucumbers over purple pansies make them pop!), then top with other vegetable strips and a line of parsley, careful not to bunch them up in the middle.
-Bring the bottom edge of the wrapper tightly up over the filling, and fold the sides in over it. Continue to roll up tightly and place on a plate, joint-side down. Cover rolls with lettuce leaves to keep them fresh, while preparing the sauce.
-Blend all the sauce ingredients, except pineapple cubes, in a small travel blender, pour it into a dipping bowl, sprinkle with pineapple and serve along side the spring rolls.
Tanya’s Top Tip: Check out the homemade tea recipe on page 39 of The Uncook Book for ideas on what edible flowers you can use for this recipe.