I am on a constant hunt for school lunch box recipes for my teens. Both of them love variety, so I try my best to give them different lunches every day. I have to admit – some weeks are better than others.
The kids love South East Asian foods and are in that era of enjoying it more than Indian food, and that’s ok! As long as they are eating tons of vegetables, it does not bother me. So I oblige and my latest recipe that has been on repeat in their lunch boxes are these Vietnamese inspired Vegan Fresh Spring Rolls.
What are Vegan Fresh Spring Rolls?
Fresh spring rolls are made with the larger diameter round rice paper that is available in regular grocery stores or Asian markets. They are also available on Amazon linked here. The fried spring rolls use wonton wrappers that are usually made with all purpose flour and are in the shape of smaller squares.
These fresh spring rolls are gluten-free since they are made with rice paper.
What Ingredients are part of these Vegan Fresh Spring Rolls?
The ingredients are:
- Rice paper wrappers
- Marinated and fried tofu strips
- Cooked thin rice noodles or rice vermicelli : Cook the noodles per package instructions. I usually bring the water to a boil and cook the noodles for about 3 minutes. And then they are cooled under cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Vegetables like cucumber, carrots, purple cabbage, green onions, cilantro and mint.
How do you get the vegetables so thin for the fresh spring rolls?
You can use either of the three methods that I talk about below. I have used both, and both work fine.
Method 1:
- Use a julienne peeler, like this one from Amazon. It helps to cut the vegetables evenly and you do not get large chunks in your mouth while chewing the spring rolls. This peeler does make it easier on you.
Method 2:
- I use a mandoline to slice the vegetables thin. Then I use a sharp chef’s knife to make matchsticks, or thin strips of the vegetables. This method works as well.
Method 3:
- You can also use one of these all-in-one tools that work fabulous as well.
What sauce do you use to serve these Vegan Fresh Spring Rolls?
The sauce that I use is a peanut base sauce. The ingredients of this sauce are:
- Peanut butter
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Honey or brown sugar
- Lime juice
- Black pepper
- Water
The ingredients are whisked together in a small bowl to make the peanut sauce.
Why do you marinate and cook the tofu? Can we use fresh tofu as is in the spring roll?
I would not suggest using fresh tofu for the spring rolls since tofu is innately bland.
Marinating the tofu in soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar and garlic gives depth of flavor and makes the tofu tasty. Once the tofu is marinated, I cook it in some oil on a hot pan, until the tofu is cooked and lightly charred.
The tofu is completely cooled, and then cut into strips for the assembly. Warm tofu can tear through the rice paper skin so it is important that it is cool.
Also, be sure to remove all the water from the tofu before you set to marinate it.
How do I remove water from the tofu?
Place the tofu wrapped in paper towels onto a cutting board. Place a heavy object like a cast iron skillet on top for about 15 minutes, to drain out all the water from it.
How do you assemble these rolls? Is it difficult?
The rolls are not difficult to assemble. Think wrapping a burrito, and how all the ingredients are placed in the center of the tortilla. The bottom fold is wrapped over the filling, the side folds are wrapped on top of the bottom fold, and then the whole burrito is wrapped all the way to the top until it is sealed from all the sides.
The same concept is used to wrap the spring rolls. It takes some practice but once you make a couple of them, you will get the hang of it and it will go fast as well for the remaining rolls.
Mis en place is very important for these rolls. Keep all the vegetables, tofu, rice paper, soaking plate for the rice paper and the noodles on the work surface. Place a wooden board in front of you, where you will lay the soaked rice paper to work with.
The rice paper is soaked in warm to hot water for a few seconds so that it is workable/pliable. The vegetables and tofu are assembled in the center and then the wrapping begins to form a mini burrito of sorts.
How do you store the Vegan Fresh Spring Rolls and the Peanut Sauce?
I store the fresh vegetarian spring rolls and peanut sauce separately in airtight containers. The rolls are separated by parchment paper so that they do not stick to each other in the container.
The rolls can be kept upto a day. The peanut sauce will stay upto a week.
*Note: The rolls can be stored in an airtight container for upto a day.*
Other school lunch inspiration
Other school lunches from my blog that are popular with my kids are:
If you make this recipe, please tag #thejamlab on Instagram and/or leave a comment on this blog post.
XO
Amisha
Vegan Fresh Spring Rolls
Peanut sauce
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon honey or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons warm water
Marinated Tofu
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 14 ounce of tofu, cut across the length into ⅓ inch slices
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for sauteing
- 10 to 12 rice paper wrappers
- 2 cups cooked and cooled thin rice noodles or rice vermicelli
- 1 cucumber, thinly sliced into matchsticks
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced into matchsticks
- 1 heaped cup, thinly sliced purple cabbage
- ¾ cup finely chopped green onions
- 20–24 2-inch cilantro sprigs
- 20–24 mint leaves
Note
You can use a julienne peeler as well for the cucumber and carrots. I use the mandolin to slice the cucumbers and carrots thin, and then using a sharp knife, I slice them into thin matchsticks.
I use the mandolin for the purple cabbage as well, such that it is thinly sliced.
Get Recipe Ingredients
Method
To make the peanut sauce
- Add all the ingredients into a medium bowl, and whisk until smooth and well combined. The consistency should be slightly thicker than heavy cream.
To make the marinated tofu
- In a quarter baking sheet, add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar and garlic and mix until well combined. Lay the tofu slices flat onto the sheet, and marinate for 5 minutes. Turn each tofu and marinate the other side for 5 more minutes.
- In a medium saucepan, on medium heat, add the oil. After a minute, lay the tofu without overlapping each other, onto the pan. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, until the base is lightly charred.
- Using a spatula, turn each of the tofu slices onto the other side and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Remove the tofu slices onto a cutting board and let cool completely.
- Slice them into ½ inch thin strips, such that they can be layered onto the rice paper roll for the spring rolls.
Assembly
- Misen place: Place all the components of the spring roll onto a large plate – tofu slices, rice noodles, cucumber, carrots, purple cabbage, green onions and cilantro.
- Have a large cutting board in front of you to assemble the spring roll.
- On the side, have a plate with warm (trending hot) water ready.
- Place the rice paper into the warm water for a mere 5 to 7 seconds. Remove and place flat and neatly on the cutting board.
- Place the veggies such as a few carrots, cucumbers, and cabbage strips in the center, piled on top of each other. Add about 3 to 4 strips of tofu on the side. Top with a few green onions, 2 cilantro springs and 2 mint leaves.
- Fold from the lower end, over the filling and seal it tight. Wrap the sides over the wrapped filling and then roll it all the way to the top, like a tight burrito.
- Repeat the process for the remaining spring rolls.
- Serve the spring rolls with the peanut sauce.
Notes
- The rolls can be stored in an airtight container for upto a day.
