Raw rice paper wraps and satay sauce
It’s summertime, and the livin’ is easy. But it’s also pretty warm out there, so whadaya say about another delicious, no cooking, raw treat?
There’s a whole lot of people out there these days using rice paper wrappers to make “bacon”, but I’m going to keep it old school for now and use these wrappers for what they were intended for – wrapping! No, no, no, I don’t mean “Yo yo yo,” I mean wrapping veggies. Rice paper, which you soak in water until it’s soft, can be a little tricky to work with, if you’ve never done it before. But, if you’re not too worried about getting gorgeous photos of your food on your very first try – you’ll be fine!
And as I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, I mostly see recipes as a list of suggestions – so feel free to not use some veggies I suggest and add others that you like instead! For instance, a lot of people like to throw some mint in wraps like these, but I love cilantro! One thing I will say, however, is that it’s good to try and pick some colorful things, and to look for different textures and consistencies.
I was looking for some beetroot sprouts that I recently saw but couldn’t get my hands on any this times, so I grabbed some good ole bean sprouts instead. Still i wanted something that was a similar color, so I opted for some purple cabbage and kohlrabi. Crunchy carrots cut into matchsticks are a brilliant orange and I have this new found love of sweet, yellow-fleshed mangoes! For the greens, I couldn’t decide between arugula/rocket and spinach, so I grabbed a little of both. Oh, and avocado – gotta have some avocado in there somewhere!
Then, since I know someone, somewhere is going to ask you about protein, I like to top these with some crushed peanuts, followed by a creamy, peanut butter satay sauce! I spoon a generous helping on my wraps before each and every bite I take!
Healthy, delicious, colorful, sweet, sour, salty, crunchy, creamy, vegan goodness – raw rice paper wraps and satay sauce!
Ingredients
-
Satay sauce
- ½ cup (1.2 dl) – peanut butter
- 2 Tbsps (30 ml) – lime juice (1 lime)
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) – sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) – tamari sauce
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) – rice vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ca 1 in (2.5 cm) – fresh ginger, grated
- ¼ - ½ cup (.6-1.2 dl) – water Rice paper wraps
- 8 large rice paper wrappers
- 1 mango
- 1 avocado
- 1 large carrot
- a couple handfuls of arugula and/or baby spinach
- 2 spring onions
- 1 purple kohlrabi or ¼ purple cabbage or both
- 1 handful of cilantro
- 1 handful of bean sprouts
- ½ cup (1.2 dl) – crushed peanuts, for garnish
Instructions
- Add all the satay sauce ingredients (apart from the water) to a food processor and blend until smooth. Gradually add some water, blend more, and continue until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
- Prepare all the vegetables, cutting or slicing them into, roughly, 4-inch-long pieces. (Cutting the carrot and kohlrabi/cabbage by hand adds a nice, crunchy texture to your wrap, while grating/shredding them will not.)
- Pour some lukewarm water into a plate/bowl that is as large as the rice paper you are using. Take 1 wrapper at a time and place it in the water until it gets soft. (Maybe about 30 seconds.) Using two hands, carefully remove the wrapper from the water and place it on a cloth, kitchen towel.
- Place a little of every vegetable in the center of the wrap. Fold in the left and right sides, and then, holding those ends in place, use your thumbs to fold the bottom of the wrapper over your pile of vegetables. Press the wrapper down gently, but firmly, and roll the wrap up and away from you, onto the top part of the wrapper. The wraps are quite sticky, so treat them gently. Getting the wrap tight enough, with all the sides tucked in, and without it overflowing or splitting takes some practice.
- I find that the wraps stick to wood the least. So place each wrap on a wooden chopping board, cut it in half, and then place them in your serving bowl or plate.
- Serve with the crushed peanuts and satay sauce.
Karly August 4, 2016 (10:52 pm)
Wow, these are amazing on so many levels. They’re way gorgeous and look so light and full of flavor! Cannot wait to try these!
Chris August 5, 2016 (3:55 pm)
Hi Karly! Thanks so much for your kind words!
Patricia August 17, 2016 (2:10 am)
I love these fresh rolls so much! I’m not very good at rolling them tightly and mine look a little sloppy, but they taste so good! Thanks for the reminder! I’ll try again!
Chris August 17, 2016 (11:07 am)
Hi Patricia! Thanks for writing! I know, what you mean – rolling these just tight enough (but not too tight) takes some practice 🙂 But no matter how they look, the always taste delicious! And you should definitely try this sauce!
Nandar June 29, 2019 (8:13 am)
I will try it for new home menu.