homemade spring rolls=love

Homemade Vietnamese "chả giò" spring rolls are nothing like those fried little heart-attack torpedoes from the neighborhood fast food joint. Not even from the same species or planet.

The freshly tucked pockets we made tonight were stuffed with colorful crisp vegetarian layers that would make many carnivores swoon. They are perfect for spring and summer snacks or a new kind of lunch burrito. Enjoy and experiment with the fillings and ingredient ratios to taste!

*Dulce's Vegetarian Chả Giò Việt Nam (Vietnamese Spring Rolls)*

Ingredients:
Spring roll sauce (I prefer a natural variety that doesn't have added msg or preservatives)
1 package of round Vietnamese rice roll wrappers
Bunch of freshly chopped cilantro
handful of fresh spring mix, spinach, watercress, or other choice
2 finely grated carrots
1 Thinly sliced cucumber
1/2 of an avocado cut into long thin slivers
1/3 block extra firm tofu
2 tablespoons sesame oil (approx)
2 tablespoons olive oil (approx)
Raw hulled sesames to taste
Sliced mango (optional but SO worth the effort and $)

Steps:
1.) Pan fry until crisp thinly sliced strips of extra-firm tofu in mixture of sesame oil and olive oil.
2.) Mix in a cup 2 tbs spring roll sauce with 1 tbs warm water. When tofu begins to brown, turn off stove and pour sauce onto strips. The tofu should soak up all of the sauce and become carmelized. At this point you may have to start swatting away fingers reaching in to try to taste the delicious smelling tofu nougats!
3.) Set aside tofu strips and let cool for 15 minutes.
4.) Once tofu has cooled down, the fun part begins!! Soak the first round rice paper sheet in lukewarm to warmer water in a pan with sides large enough to acomodate both the size of the rice paper sheet and about 2 inches of the soaking water. The package should read how long to soak the paper in the water: it should be soft and pliable, but not too hard and not gooey.
5.) Place sheet on flat surface and place layers of grated carrot, spring mix lettuce, thinly sliced cucumber, slivers of avocado, and a strip or 2 of tofu on sheet.
6.) And roll! I recommend rolling like a burrito with the sides folded over first, then rolled - and don't over-stuff these babies! The rice paper shell is very delicate.
7.) Sprinkle with sesame seeds to taste and serve with fresh sliced mango. Enjoy with a friend or stranger.

Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.
Buddha