Rice Paper Rolls

Carrots, red bell peppers, mangoes, cucumber, cilantro, mint, green onions, rice paper, and vermicelli rice noodles. Simple and fresh ingredients to create a flavorful, nutritious and healthy snack or appetizer as well as a wonderful way to practice your knife skills.
There are always new gadgets meant to make cooking easier and faster. If I am shredding 50 lbs. of cheese or 20 heads of cabbage I am a fan of some of these mandolins, slicers, and shredders. For the most part I try to take advantage of the time it takes to prep my ingredients as the perfect opportunity to hone my knife skills. For instance, in these rolls, you will need only 1-2 carrots to get more than enough carrot for your rolls. If by chance you have a julienne peeler in your drawer then by all means use that, it creates long thin strips of carrot, daikon, cucumber, or even zucchini that would be perfect in these rolls as well. As with any recipe, make sure that all vegetables are washed and prepped before attempting the execution of the dish (in this case the rolling). Remember to always think one or two steps ahead when preparing for a recipe. It helps to read the recipe over thoroughly first and then go back and begin again, that way there are no surprise twists and turns, and allows for more efficiency. For instance, in this recipe, while washing and cutting you can put water on to boil for your rice noodles.

Ingredients

• 1 Red Bell Pepper - seeded and julienned (long, thin strips)
• 2 Carrots - peeled and julienned
• 1 Mango - peeled, cut into thin slices
• 1 Cucumber - peeled, seeded, julienned
• 1 bunch Cilantro - leaves only
• 1 bunch Minto - leaves only
• 4 Green Onions - sliced thin
• 3 2oz. packages of Vermicelli Rice Noodles - cooked
• 1 package round Rice Paper
• Warm Water

Equipment

• 1 small pot (for cooking noodles)
• Pasta strainer
• 1 shallow bowl (for soaking rice paper)
• Chef knife

Soak rice paper rounds (1-2 at a time) in water for a few minutes, until completely soft. Be carefull not to soak too long or the rice paper will get mushy.

Pull the papers out of the water and lay them out flat.

Place a little bit of each ingredient inside the rice paper (not too full or the paper will tear)

Fold the sides of the rice paper in and then fold over the end closest to you and continue to roll the rice paper with filling tightly away from you. The rolling takes a little practice but you will be so satisfied when you finally get it!

As soon as they are rolled place on a cookie sheet or plate and cover with a damp paper towel, keep covered while you are rolling the rest, the rice paper will dry up and harden if not. You will realize that you have prepped more than enough ingredients! So either save them for the next day or day after, the completed rolls do not hold up for more than a day, so you can continue making this healthy snack throughout the week or make a bunch for the bbq or party you will be attending, people will eat them up! Serve them with a sweet and spicy asian dipping sauce or a peanut or nut sauce.