Vegetable Spring Rolls

I was flipping through old recipe books, looking for something interesting for lunches this week. I found an old hand-book that I bought ages ago; mostly because the pictures looked good and because I'd just been diagnosed as a Diabetic. The hand-book is "Better Homes and Gardens Diabetic Living Healthy Snacks". The handbook promises (and delivers) a photo of every recipe.

I really like crunchy food, and spring rolls (the non-fried variety) can be very crunchy, depending on what you put in them. I figured since I know how to roll burritos, how hard could rolling rice papper be?

I gathered the ingredients and measured everything out. The rice pappers seem to be made of plastic until you dip them in warm water. The process of making the rolls went surprisingly well, until I started to roll them. I couldn't make tight rolls. I either overstuffed them (causing them to rip), or understuffed them (causing them to be loose when I rolled them). I think I need to practice this some more. I made 6 (and ate the one that badly ripped). The taste is quite mild, but the result is very crunchy. Note that after marinating for a day the taste was a lot sharper. After two days the rolls were too wet to eat without many napkins and not as good as on day one.

Note that the rolls will keep for up to a day or so if wrapped tightly in saran wrap.

Equipment

• A pan of warm water.


• A kitchen towel.


• A cutting board & knife.


• Two small bowls with covers (or saran wrap).


• Measuring cups & spoons.


• A fine mesh siv.


• A plate.

Ingredients & Instructions

Ingredients		Instructions
1/2 cup	radishes, shredded	1. In a small bowl, combine the radish, green nions, vinegar, jalapeno pepper, sugar, and sesame oil. 2. Mix well to coat. 3. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
1/4 cup	green onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons	rice vinegar
1	jalapeno chile pepper, seeded & finely chopped
1 teaspoon	sugar
1/2 teaspoon	toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup	carrot, shredded	4. Combine carrot, cucumber, cilantro and soy sauce in a bowl. 5. Mix well to coat. 6. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
1/2 cup	cucumber, cut into bite-sized strips
2 tablespoons	cilantro, finely diced
1 cup	warm water	7. Poor the warm water into the pan. 8. Carefully dip the rice paper into the water until it becomes pliable. 9. Remove from the water and blot dry with a clean kitchen towl.
6	8.5" rice papers
1 1/2 cups	Boston lettuce, shredded	10. Add 1/4 cup shredded letttuce on each rice paper near the bottom edge. 11. Place 1 tablespoon of each vegetable mxiture on the lettuce. 12. Add beansprouts on top of the vegetable mixtures. 13. Add three or four shrimp atop the beansprouts. 14. Fold the bottom edge over the filling. Then fold in the sides and tightly roll up the rice paper. 15. Place the rolls, seam sides down, on a serving plate and cut in half before serving.
1 cup	bean sprouts
1 cup	shrimp, cooked (optional)