Crunchy, colorful and cool, these little bundles of vegetables make a great appetizer or light meal. White rice wrappers are more common at the store, but look for brown rice wrappers as well. This recipe scales easily up or down depending on how you plan to use it. This recipe is planned for appetizer portions. Optional dipping sauce recipe in notes, or try the Asian almond sauce on this site.
Prep vegetables and herbs: Cut zucchini and carrots into long, fine strips with a julienne peeler for the fastest, easiest cutting, then cut the fine strips into pieces about 4″ long. Cut the bell pepper into long, fine strips by hand with a sharp knife. Finely shred the cabbage with a small handheld mandoline slicer, lager mandoline set to fine, or with a sharp knife. Remove the leaves from herb stems. No need to chop them. Tear lettuce leave into small pieces. Place all vegetables on a rimmed baking sheet, large casserole or into small bowls
Assemble the spring rolls, fill a large bowl half way with warm water. Working on a cutting board or plate, dip one rice wrapper into the water briefly, just a few seconds. The wrapper will be a bit stiff at first and soften as you work. They get a little sticky. Just go with it and you will get the hang of it. Place the wrapper on a cutting board or plate. Starting at the end closest to you, lay a few herbs down in ⅓ of the wrapper, then top with a few strips of each vegetable. Don’t go all of the way to the edges as you will fold the sides in like a burrito. Start rolling the vegetables and wrap snugly until you get about half way, then fold in sides and continue rolling to complete a roll. Place the finished spring roll on a plate. Now make more!
To eat, cut the finished spring rolls in half and serve with dipping sauce of choice.
Notes
Optional Dipping Sauce
½ cup organic Hoisin (look for no high fructose corn syrup brand)