After a weekend of excess, my body was calling out for something light, fresh and packed full of veggies. These rainbow spring rolls are crammed with vibrant, colourful vegetables; bursting with nutrients and antioxidants and all round goodness. The spring rolls are elevated to a taste sensation with the addition of the sweet chilli dipping sauce, which is hot and spicy and a contrast to the cool, crisp veggies. If you fancy a bit of protein, you could add some cooked prawns, tofu or chicken to these rolls - delicious.
Makes approximately 10 spring rolls
Ingredients
For the dipping sauce
100g red chillies, tops trimmed off and seeds removed from half of the chillies
1 garlic clove, peeled
250ml rice wine vinegar
150ml mild runny honey
Pinch of sea salt
For the spring rolls
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 cucumber, deseeded and sliced into thin strips
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced into thin strips
50g mange tout, sliced into thin strips
2 spring onions, halve lengthways and sliced into thin strips
1 large, ripe avocado, peeled, destined and sliced into thin strips
Handful of baby spinach leaves
50g cooked rice noodles
10-12 Rice flour pancakes (spring roll wrappers)
Large handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped
Small handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped
Soy sauce (few drops per spring roll)
Directions
Place the chillies, garlic clove and 120ml of vinegar into a food processor.
Blitz until the garlic and chilli are finely chopped.
Transfer the chilli and vinegar mix into a heavy based, medium pan.
Add the honey and the rest of the vinegar and heat over a low heat until the honey melts, approximately 5 minutes.
Turn up the heat, and boil gently for 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens but is still runny (as it will thicken more as it cools).
Set aside and allow to cool.
Decant the chilli sauce into a clean jar (this will keep well in the fridge for a week or two).
Meanwhile, prep all of the veggies and set aside for an easy assembly.
Add hot water into a large shallow dish.
Submerge a rice paper for 5 seconds (until pliable, DON'T leave for too long as they will be impossible to work with).
Transfer the rice paper onto a slightly damp tea towel.
Add small amounts of the herbs, carrots, peppers, mange tout, cucumber, spring onion, rice noodles, avocado, spinach and a little dash of soy sauce into the centre of the rice paper.
Fold the bottom over the filling, then fold in the sides, then roll up to make a completed spring roll.
Repeat until all of the ingredients are used up.
Place the spring rolls onto a serving platter.
Serve with the sweet chilli dipping sauce.