Spring rolls make a nice appetizer when you go out to eat at some fancy-pants restaurant, and they're just as nice when you eat them at home in front of the television or computer. Give spring rolls a try! CG showed me an easier way to roll the spring rolls using a damp towel--you can check out that method and print the complete recipe at http://www.myfoodchannel.com/spring-rolls/Give this spring roll dish a try and let me know what you think, and for more video recipes check out the Chef Buck playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2EFBD7E8FE2BB552 and to discover and print more great dishes visit my recipe website at http://www.myfoodchannel.com/More stuff:My other Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/buckredbuck http://www.facebook.com/buckredbuckhttp://plus.google.com/u/0/109193261972985167770/postshttps://twitter.com/buckredbuckMy recipe website: http://www.myfoodchannel.com/Chef Buck playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2EFBD7E8FE2BB552All you need to make spring rolls are rice paper and some tasty ingredients to roll up inside. You can buy rice paper at any Asian food store, most health food markets, and in the ethnic foods section of many local grocery stores. Its an economical buy. The last batch I bought was a package of 20 for $2.25 U.S. dollars. It comes in sheets, like paper, but usually round in shape; it doesnt feel like paper, thoughit feels more like plastic, almost like something youd find at the hardware store, but dont let that put you off, it softens quickly when wet. Despite its initial "plasticky" appearance, its not bad for you, or particularly good for you eitherrice, tapioca, salt, and water are the prime components. How your spring rolls taste will be determined by the ingredients you roll up inside, and any dipping sauce you might like to serve them with. Its a great vehicle for getting raw vegetables into your diet; I like to think of a spring roll as a cigar-shaped salad, but many pre-cooked meats and seafood work well in spring rolls, too.ingredients:Rice Paper andWhatever the hell you wanna roll up in the rice paper.Here are a few options I like to use: cilantro (I ALWAYS USE CILANTRO), cucumber, basil leaves, lettuce, carrots, sprouts, rice noodles, steamed shrimp, stir-fried spicy pork, bell pepper, green onions, cabbage, and on and on and ontheres no end to what you can use.directions:Prepare your filling ingredientsmainly making sure the ingredients are chopped or sliced in a manner which will make them rice paper-wrapping friendlythis is especially true if you plan on slicing the spring rolls in halfyour filling ingredients will tumble out easily if theyre too loose and tiny.Wet the rice paper with warm tap water. Just a few seconds under a warm tap is plenty. Place the rice paper on a damp towel and gently press down. The rice paper will quickly soften and become pliable. Arrange your filling ingredients at one end of the sheet and roll them up in the rice paper like a burrito. Using basil or lettuce or cabbage leaves as your base ingredient will make the rolls structurally sound and easier to roll. Its very important that the first rollover be tightcompact the ingredients as much as possiblea loosely rolled spring roll is a sad sight, and will quickly fall apart if sliced. The rice paper will be your friend. It will help. It is very sticky and will seal almost like an envelope around your stuffings. If you want a tasty spring roll, its as easy as rolling up a tasty combo of ingredientsa yummy dipping sauce will help, and here are two:Peanut Dipping Sauce:1 Tbsp Peanut Butter1 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame OilChili Dipping Sauce:2 Tbsp Chili-Garlic sauce2 Tbsp Soy Sauce1 tsp Sesame SeedsAnd just plain old soy sauce works fine, too. Or maybe some hot mustardI've never tried that, but it just popped into my head, so maybe next time I'll give it a go.Alright, that's enough blabbing.Give spring rolls a try and bon apptit!
