Salad in a roll

I did not want the title of this post to be Salad Rolls, since these are not traditional salad rolls you will find in Vietnamese or Thai restaurants. These are my own creation, ingredients were picked by my own appetite and just mere chance. I recommend you go to the produce market of your choice and choose any vegetables that look good, you can add shrimp, tofu, or any cooked protein; I decided to keep them vegetarian and go with cream cheese, and when that's gone and you still have some more veggies, then it is time to think of your vegan friends (because we love to hate them, or maybe just hate to love them).

This is how your ingredients should look like first.

Sam salad rolls
-1 package rice sheets (because every neighborhood has an Asian market)
-1/2 Jicama, julienned
-1 carrot, julienned
-1 cucumber, julienned
-about 3 oz peeled ginger, julienned
-1 package cream cheese, frozen and then julienned
-julienned mint, parsley, and cilantro.
-1 package bean sprouts.

This is how your ingredients will look like after you have julienned them. Yeah, cream cheese doesn't like julienned.

This is how your ingredients will look like if you have an expensive Japanese knife. You  Wish. 

1)Set up a round cake pan that fits your rice papers with steaming water and turn the burner on to low to keep it warm. 

2)Dip one paper in the water, let soften till its cooked (think about cooking pasta, you want al dente), should take about 20-30 seconds depending on the temp of your water. 

 3)Work quickly! Have a cutting board next to your water and julienned veggies, spread the paper out, but don't worry too much about the wrinkles, if you work fast enough you can fix that.

4)Stack your veggies in neat rows in the center. Leave about an inch in every direction. 

5)Roll up the right side first neatly over your veggies pressing down, fold edges and keep on rolling. Yeah just like a burrito. But sticky and healthy. 

6)Let rolls dry a little bit on cooling racks. And refrigerate. 

What next?

Make a simple peanut sauce with peanut butter, soy sauce, coconut milk and hot sauce. Add water to desired consistency. 

What to drink?

A dry or sweet Riesling will pair perfectly. The crisp saltiness of the rolls goes perfectly with the fresh sweetness of this wine. 

Where should I eat this?

Anywhere! Take them for lunch to work, to a picnic at the park, to a hipster/vegetarian party, on the bus, etc. 

Happy Salad eating!