Summers are here in full swing and many of us are craving salads more than ever. Looking for an exciting recipe to enjoy your veggies in a refreshing and fun way? Let’s roll up our sleeves to dive into these delicious spring rolls with spicy tofu. There is also a BONUS recipe for Dipping sauce 🙂
It has not been a very easy phase for any one of us these past few months. Most days I am cooking for my family but somedays I am just not upto it. On those days, I am often reaching out for a salad or any thing simple to put together in minutes. These days I like to keep my meals simple and hearty but being a compulsive foodie at heart, I need them to be creative and fun.
Would you believe if I confess that I have been dishing out these spring rolls for years altogether and somehow this recipe never made it to my blog? I guess because I usually end up dishing these out when I am short on time. These come together so quick and is usually devoured before I get to click some pics 😛
Why this recipe works?
I mean..seriously… look at that pic – aren’t these just out rightly drool worthy ! For a girl who eats with her eyes, I sure can’t keep my eyes off this platter of deliciousness. The best part- this meal come together in a jiffy and ticks off all the point on the scale of a summer meal deal –
- Refreshing
- Colorful and Appealing
- Low Carb
- Grab and Go
- Can prepare ahead
- Easy to share
These Vietnamese Tofu Spring Rolls are perfect to prepare for summer picnics and can be easily enjoyed with family/friends in the current times of social distancing . I am taking this game a notch up by using some fried tofu in this recipe, making it protein rich. Afraid to use tofu ? I’ll say, read about tofu basics on my post and get some encouragement. The post explains all about tofu, how to prepare and use.
Vietnamese Tofu Spring Rolls
Ingredients
- 10- 12 rice paper sheets (can choose white or brown rice sheets- easily available at any asian store)
- veggies of choice – all cut Juliene (spinach, zucchini, carrot, cabbage)
- Avocado slices (optional)
- Seasoned Fried Tofu (see below)
- fresh coriander
- fresh mint
- sprinkle of toasted seeds
For the Fried Tofu
- 1 block of Firm Tofu
- Oil -1 tablespoon (for frying- any neutral flavor oil)
- light soy sauce -2 tablespoon
- Vegan Oyster sauce / Hoisin/ Plum sauce- 1 tablespoon (optional but helps in bringing the marination together)
- Sambal Oelek- 1 tsp (or as per taste)
- Brown sugar- 1 tablespoon
For the Peanut Dipping Sauce – Mix all to prepare.
Tip – Prepare the sauce after frying tofu. The excess marination from the tofu can be used for the dipping sauce base.
- Peanut Butter- 2 Tablespoons(I chose chunky variety for the texture)
- light soy sauce- 1 tablespoon
- Sambal Oelek – 1 tsp
- vegan oyester sauce/ Hoisin/ Plum (optional) – 1 tablespoon
- Brown sugar – 1 tablespoon
- salt to taste (keep it low as soy sauce is salty too)
- 1/2 cup Warm water
Method
Preparing Tofu
- Let us start with making the fried tofu. Prepare the tofu by pressing out the excess liquid from the tofu. Cut into big chunks.
- Make a marination from all the ingredients listed in the fried tofu section minus the Oil and keep aside.
- On a hot non stick skillet, pour the oil and add the chopped slices of tofu. Space out the pieces to allow for easier handling when you want to turn the pieces of the other sides to fry evenly and avoid sticking with each other.
- Once the tofu is crispy on all sides, pour the desired quantity of marination and let the tofu glaze in the pan. Cook till the marination is all absorbed. Remove from flame and keep aside.
Assembly + Making Rolls
- To prepare the rice sheets, take a small plate/dish with lukewarm water and carefully place one sheet at a time. let it sit in the water for about 30 seconds each side. The sheet should become soft and workable.
- Carefully remove the sheet from water and drain excess water off the sheet with your fingers. place on a clean-greased plate.
- Add the veggies and 2-3 tofu pieces in the center of the rice paper. Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds. Roll like a burrito and place on the serving platter.
- Make all the rolls in the same manner. Space out the rolls to avoid from sticking or gently apply some toasted sesame oil on each spring roll.
- Cut into halves, if desired and serve with the dipping sauce.
You can refer to this video by Chowhound to understand the basic wrapping technique of spring rolls
Let’s talk Variations !
Be as creative as you want with this dish. If you like, switch out the protein to one of your liking, maybe mushrooms ! You can also add veggies like bok choy, spring onion greens, broccoli or really any veggie you like eating raw. You can also add some Spicy Sriracha or Sambal Oelek right in the rolls to make a spicy version.
Looking for more ideas?
If this recipe excites you as much as it does for me, I am pretty sure you are now geared up to create it for your next meal. Do give it a go and I recommend making a big batch of the Peanut dipping sauce…because you would be making these rolls soon again 🙂
While you are at it, I’ll also recommend this other Vietnamese specialty which is absolutely amazing and in my opinion, perfect for the weekend brunch-
Vietnamese Savory Wrap – Banh Xeo
Look for more ideas in these recipe sections –
