Vietnamese Spring Rolls paired with Easy Lychee Martinis
My first herb exploration brought me to two local Asian grocers where I picked up Thai Basil, cilantro and mint as well as all the other necessary ingredients to make spring rolls. Inspired by a cocktail I usually order at a local restaurant, I also bought a can of lychee fruit in heavy syrup to concoct a Lychee Martini recipe.
As soon as my girlfriend came over, we shook up some of those martinis and I proceeded to show her how to make spring rolls… which brings us to the above photograph. She became a spring roll machine! I couldn’t get her to stop making them even once the rest of the meal was on the table and we were ready to eat. My last attempt to thwart her spring roll wrapping resulted in a slight tussle, a broken martini glass and a nervous barefoot dance by both of us to avoid cutting our feet.
My unfocused spring roll photo is a result of potentially blurred vision from our delectable Lychee Martinis, the mere speed of her quick and agile spring roll wrapping hands or a combination of both. I can promise you that although it is not pictured well, the spring rolls were delicious and a refreshing use of the fragrant herbs.
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Vietnamese Spring Rolls paired with Easy Lychee Martinis
Description
These spring rolls taste so fresh thanks to all the herbs tucked inside. The recipe if flexible, add apples, tofu, cabbage… experiment!
Ingredients
Rolls:
8 round sheets rice paper
8 lettuce leaves
1/2 cup cooked bean threads (cellophane noodles)
1/2 cup fresh bean sprouts
1/2 cup julienne-cut seeded, peeled cucumber
1/2 cup julienne-cut carrot
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup Thai basil
16 cooked shrimp or strips of tofu
Spring Roll Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon chile paste with garlic
1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Prepare all the ingredients and have them ready on your work surface.
Add very warm water to a shallow dish large enough to fit the rice papers. A large pie plate works. The water should be almost too hot to touch.
Put one sheet of rice paper sit in the water until soft.
Place softened rice paper on a flat surface. Place a leaf of lettuce on the middle of the sheet.
Top with rice noodles, carrots, cucumber, and shrimp or tofu. Sprinkle with a few leaves of each of the fresh herbs.
Gently fold one side of the rice paper over the filling pulling back for a tight fit. Fold in the ends slightly to close them before rolling forward. Place seam side down on a platter.
For the sauce: combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together
For the sauce, combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.
Notes
Peanut dipping sauce also is delicious with these spring rolls.
I so love spring rolls like this. We made them for my sister’s wedding shower last year; three of us tippled the punch and turned into spring rolling dervishes, I think it might be something in the rice paper. Lychee martinis – genius and so easy. I’m passing this one on to my dad, he’ll have them ready by the time I get to my parents place by Lake Michigan next weekend.
I’m back. I came to get the link and send it to my dad (I wasn’t kidding). I read the recipe again. One cup of vodka, flavored with lychee syrup, shaken with ice and strained into a martini glass. One cup of vodka? Whoa boy, that’s a party. No wonder you ended up with broken glass. I’m passing it on to my dad as is. He’s likely to take it literally. I’m going to have fun next weekend.
Actually, I should have mentioned… we poured 4 drinks with that. We had others there with us…
But the proportions worked out!
Oh rats.
Roll em thick, y’all!
from my experience keeping the rolls tight is super important. gently tug back on the paper as you roll. the paper, because it’s sticky, will hold to your work surface.
thinly sliced duck is nice too!
quack!
i’m usually really anti canned stuff but canned lychees are divine! i could eat them all day – i way prefer them to the fresh ones you can sometimes buy. this sounds like a fantastic summer cocktail – thanks caroline!
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