Spring is in the air!

OK, because I've had absolutely nothing to blog about this week - seriously, I've done nothing but go to the gym and do housework... makes for boring blog posts, so I refrained from doing so. . . . I thought I'd share something that I did the week before last, that I never got around to blogging about. Spring is in the air! Not just the weather - I mean these... Spring Rolls!

Have you ever tried them? Not sure about in England, but over here you can buy these made fresh daily at your local grocery store, usually at the ones that have a sushi bar. They are very simple, just a rice pancake wrapped around shrimp, with lettuce, carrots and noodles inside.

As you can probably guess by now, I didn't buy these from the store.... I decided to try and make my own when I saw that they sell the rice wrappers. So, here's how I did it....

The rice wrapper is actually pretty stiff when you buy them, you could easily snap them in half... handle carefully and submerge one in hot water for about 30 seconds. It then goes very very soft, (and a little sticky) so work quickly and lay it out gently on to a dish towel...

The shrimp is often shown at the top of the roll so this is what you place on the wrapper first... then add a lettuce leaf, this is going to roll around the inside filling with the wrapper...

next add some grated carrot, and then some rice noodles (which you've obviously cooked just minutes ago according to package directions) With these first rolls I did I also added a slice or two of fresh avocado on top of the carrots (the second batch I made the following week I didn't have the avocado, and I must admit it tasted much better with it in).

Once you have all your fillings in, fold over the wrapper to cover all of the filling, then fold in the sides and continue to roll up. The wrapper will stick to itself just like clingfilm (clingwrap) does.

And voila..... there you have 6 freshly made Spring Rolls! Urmm, yes I know there's only 5 on the plate, that's cos my mouth was busy eating the 6th one - y.u.m.m.y! Oh and I highly recommend you try dipping them in Hoisin Sauce. This is how they were served to me in a restaurant once, and it just makes the dish.

So there ya go, lots of pics for you today. Here's wishing you a great weekend. And seriously, if you like this kind of stuff, give them a try this weekend. They are super easy and very fresh and tasty.