When we owned our family restaurant, my father loved to slip a free order of spring rolls to his favorite customers—and now I am gifting them to you! Dad’s version is the trusty classic, made with pork, vermicelli noodles, and mango; I keep the carbs in check by swapping in bean sprouts for most of the vermicelli noodles and using shrimp in place of the pork in the variation that follows. You could also substitute grilled chicken thighs or even tofu for the protein; the mango and dipping sauce make just about anything they are served with taste amazing!
Ingredients:
8 rice-paper rounds
8 red or green butter lettuce leaves or a handful of spring mix
2 ounces vermicelli noodles, cooked and drained
2 Persian cucumbers or
½ hothouse cucumber, cut into 2-inch-long strips
Leaves from ½ bunch mint
2 red Thai chiles, thinly sliced (optional)
8 ounces Vietnamese Pork Tenderloin (page 177) or other cooked pork or protein
2 ripe mangos, peeled and cut into thin strips
PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE:
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1/3 cup plant-based or dairy milk
Directions:
- Place the rice-paper rounds and a large, shallow bowl of water next to your work surface. Working with one rice paper at a time, slide each paper quickly into the water, then immediately rotate it through the water to wet the entire surface just until pliable.
- Shake off the excess water and lay the rice paper on your work surface.
- Place a few pieces of lettuce at the far edge of the rice paper and top with some of the noodles, 2 cucumber strips, 4 or 5 mint leaves, a bit of chile (if using), and 2 strips of pork.
- Working quickly but carefully, fold the sides of the rice paper in over the fillings, then roll the paper toward you to enclose the filling. Tuck 3 strips of mango under the rolled portion, then continue rolling the rice paper toward you to make a neat, tight roll. Repeat with the remaining rice papers and filling to make 8 spring rolls.
- To make the dipping sauce: In a small bowl, stir the peanut butter, hoisin sauce, and milk until smooth and thoroughly combined.
- Serve the spring rolls at room temperature with the peanut dipping sauce on the side.
