One of my favorite things from PeiWei is the salad rolls.  The problem is, we are never picking up just a snack from there, and if I order them for dinner it is not enough.  If I order them with dinner, I end up with too much.  I saw a picture of un-fried spring rolls somewhere along my food blog journeys and of course immediately started craving salad rolls. The learning had to begin!

I set out to the grocery store to pick up just a “few things”.  I ended up buying all the supplies for the salsa I was making PLUS all the supplies to make salad rolls. But really the best part of these is that you can put in whatever you want.  I am planning to try a dessert version soon.  I made this first batch for lunch and kept them fairly simple. Since the stuffing can really be anything, and there are a ton of wrappers in the package, these are definitely a new “make anytime snack” for me.

Necessities: Rice Stick Noodles and Spring Roll Wrappers.

Stuffing: I used lettuce, 1 carrot (shredded), 1/2 cucumber (seeded & shredded), and ~1 cup bean sprouts.  A bit of cilantro would have been great too, but I was ravenous and it slipped my mind.

The rice noodles and rice paper were the learning experience for me.  I had tried rice noodles before and failed miserably.  I only used about 20% of the 6oz package of noodles.  I had to cut them apart with scissors. I brought a small pot of water to a boil, put in the noodles and immediately turned the heat down to low.  They were in the pan for maybe 4 minutes, and I took them out with tongs, placing them on a plate.

Next, I poured the cooking water into a large baking dish (something big enough for the wrapper).  You want the water to be hot, but you want to be able to stick your hands in it.  Using tongs for this part was a little trickier.  I had a much easier time with my hands.  Unfortunately though, this means no pictures.

In the baking dish, one at a time, place the wrapper into the water.  I found it easier to use my hands to make sure the wrapper didn’t curl on the edges. My best rolls were the ones I kept flat the whole time. It does not need to stay in the water long, just long enough to become pliable.

Place on a working surface, and fill with whatever you like.  Just like a burrito, fold over, tuck in the sides, and then finish the roll.  The rice paper is sticky, so it will seal itself shut.

To keep them from drying out or sticking to a plate, put them onto a damp paper towel.  These are best eaten immediately, but I wanted to save one for PTB so I simply wrapped it in a damp paper towel, stuck it in the fridge, and it was still perfect 8 hours later 🙂

I like the salad rolls with peanut sauce. Next time I might try it with a ginger miso dressing PTB and I really enjoy!

YUM! One carrot and 1/2 cucumber was the perfect amount to fill 4 good size rolls.