Recipe: Mango Spring Rolls with Ginger-Peanut Sauce
Light, crisp and bursting with fresh flavor, these mango spring rolls make a fantastic lunch, snack or party food.
Celebrate mango season with these fresh spring rolls! I’m a big fan of spring rolls as a light, refreshing meal. Packed with whatever fruit or vegetable I can get my hands on, they are the perfect dish to make when you have a bunch of vegetable scraps lying around. As with most good recipes, once you get the hang of stuffing and wrapping these, you can customize them to whatever you have on hand. As long as the ingredients taste good together, they will taste great wrapped in a spring roll.
For easy assembly, you’ll want to have the filling chopped and ready to go ahead of time. Thin strips of vegetables are easier for stuffing and won’t poke through the delicate rice paper as heartier chunks might. Make sure to use a damp paper towel for lining the prepared rolls so they don’t dry out and crack.
While these will keep in the fridge, they taste best when enjoyed right after making. To transition these rolls to a heartier meal, add in precooked shrimp, chicken or baked tofu. Enjoy any leftover filling and sauce like a salad.
Mango Spring Rolls with Ginger-Peanut Sauce
Ingredients:
Spring Rolls
4 ounces vermicelli or thin rice noodles
1/2 cup each julienned cucumber, bell pepper and mango
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup fresh basil
8 to 10 rice spring-roll papers
Ginger Peanut Sauce
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon hot water, or more to thin
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the vermicelli or rice noodles and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
While the water is boiling, prepare the vegetables. Peel and deseed the cucumber, then julienne. Peel the mango and slice into strips. Remove pepper core and slice into long, thin strips.
Place all ingredients for peanut sauce except hot water into a medium bowl and whisk together. Slowly add in hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved. It should be thick but pourable.
To assemble spring rolls: Pour very hot water into a shallow dish or skillet and immerse rice paper to soften for about 10 to 15 seconds.
Transfer rice paper to a cutting board and gently spread out edges, taking care not to tear. On the bottom third of the wrapper, place a small handful of cooked noodles and a layer of cucumber, mango, bell pepper and a few fresh herbs.
Gently fold over once, tuck in edges and roll until seam is sealed, like you are wrapping a burrito. It’s OK if the first one fails; it may take a few attempts to get used to rolling them up.
Place seam-side down on a serving platter and cover with a damp towel to keep fresh. Repeat with remaining wrappers. Serve with ginger-peanut sauce.
Per serving: (2 spring rolls with sauce): Calories 247; Fat 8.9 g (Saturated 1.9 g); Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 432 mg; Potassium 263 mg; Carbohydrate 37.4 g; Fiber 2.4 g; Sugars 13.8 g; Protein 6.2 g
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Alex Caspero MA, RD, RYT is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Yoga Teacher. She is the founder of Delish Knowledge (delishknowledge.com), a resource for healthy, whole-food vegetarian recipes. In her private coaching practice, she helps individuals find their “Happy Weight.”
