Fresh spring rolls filled with juicy chicken and crisp vegetables. Crunchy and fresh – a healthy, nourishing meal for lunch, dinner, a snack or as a side.
I love Vietnamese rice paper rolls – they are so crisp (depending, of course, on which vegetables you fill them with 😉 ) and fresh, and they are simply so easy to make.
Make them and serve them as in the photo – perfect for a light lunch, dinner or as a side to Asian dishes, sushi and the like.
You can also serve all the fillings in bowls and let the family roll their own at the table.
Filling for fresh spring rolls
What you fill your fresh spring rolls with is entirely up to you. Use your favourites or whatever is in the fridge – most things go well in Vietnamese rice paper rolls, but make sure to include some vegetables with plenty of crunch.
You can also make them with breaded prawns (torpedo prawns), duck, fresh salmon or whatever you prefer. Feel free to use leftover chicken, roast duck or similar – Vietnamese rice paper rolls are a really good way to use up leftovers.
Serve with your favourite dips – for example peanut sauce, sweet chilli sauce, hoisin sauce or soy sauce.
Fresh spring rolls with chicken and vegetables – Vietnamese rice paper rolls
Ingredients
Vietnamese rice paper rolls – Fresh spring rolls
- 8 sheets rice paper
- 2 chicken breasts, pan-fried or grilled
- 1/2 small red pointed cabbage
- 1 avocado
- 1 pack mangetout or sugar snap peas
- 2 small romaine lettuces
- Fresh coriander (optional)
To serve – suggested dips and toppings
- Sesame seeds
- Chopped peanuts
- Sweet chilli sauce
- Hoisin sauce
- Soy sauce
Method
- Rinse the lettuce thoroughly and make sure it is well dried. Halve the leaves and remove the thickest part of the rib.
- Finely shred the cabbage and mangetout, slice the avocado and cut the chicken breasts into strips.
- Dip the rice paper in a plate of cold water, one sheet at a time – it only needs a quick dip in and straight out again. Let it drip briefly, then lay it on a clean surface – the worktop, a chopping board or similar.*The moisture from the vegetables softens the rice paper while you assemble the fresh spring rolls. Personally, I find it becomes harder to work with if the rice paper soaks in water for 10-15 seconds as described on the packet.
- Place the filling across the middle of the rice paper – a generous filling is lovely, but remember they need to close. Leave about 2 cm free of filling towards each side.*I like to add 2 strips of chicken and 2 slices of avocado, laid end to end. I do the same with a small handful of mangetout and cabbage. I finish with 3-4 small lettuce leaves on top of the filling – it makes them easier to roll.
- Now roll the rice paper around the filling. When you are about halfway, and the rice paper has just wrapped around the filling, fold in the ends and continue rolling until the spring roll is sealed.*Roll it tightly, but keep an eye on the rice paper so it does not tear – if it does, it is too tight.
- Place the finished rolls on a damp (not wet) tea towel, with another damp tea towel over the top, until all the rolls are made.
- Trim the very ends off so the rolls can stand upright, and cut each roll into 3 pieces. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with your favourite dip, chopped peanuts or similar.You can also halve the rolls and serve them lying flat – or the rolls can be assembled at the dinner table.
Nutrition
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