Thai Spring Rolls With Peanut Dipping Sauce

[GlutenFreeManna]

Thai Spring Rolls

1 pound ground meat (I have used chicken, turkey, bison, or lean ground beef)

1 teaspoon ground ginger OR 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (fresh is best but powdered does okay)

3 cloves of garlic, minced (you can use 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons of the jarred stuff to save time, I don't reccommend garlic powder)

3 cups coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)

1/4 cup peanut sauce (see recipe below)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (must use fresh)

two or three green onions chopped

rice paper wrappers

a large shallow bowl of warm water

Saute meat with ginger and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until almost cooked.

Add coleslaw mix and peanut sauce and cook until meat is cooked through.

Add cilantro and green onions, stir well and turn off burner.

Allow mixture to cool slightly before filling rice paper wrappers. You can make them and eat while still hot but they will fall apart more easily than if you put in the fridge and eat cold. The filling can also be refirdgerated and used to assemble when cold from the fridge.

Dip a rice paper wrapper in the warm water for about 30 seconds. Remove before it gets soft and place on a flat surface. The rice paper will continue to absorb water as it sits and will be soft enough to roll by the time you put the filling on it.

Put about 1/3 of a cup of filling slightly below the center of the wrapper. Fold each side in and roll up similar to a burrito.

Do not stack the rolls or they will stick together. Separate with wax paper if you need to stack or put two together in the same container.

Cool in the fridge or eat right away if you prefer them warm. Supposedly you can also deep fry these or bake in oven but I have never had much luck with that. I don't like the texture of the rice paper when it gets hard. Keep in an airtight container or covered on a plate in the fridge. They will get a little hard if you leave them uncovered on a plate in the fridge overnight so it's best to assemble the day of a party if making them for a crowd.

The recipe makes 10 to 12 depending on how big you make them.

Peanut Sauce:

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup honey

3 Tablespoons Coocnut Secrets Coconut Aminos Soy sauce substitute (If you are NOT avoiding soy you can just use gluten-free soy sauce here)

1 teaspoon Kosher salt (Omit salt if using soy sauce and only use about 1/4 teaspoon if using regular table salt)

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons Light Olive oil (or any oil neutral you want to use)

1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil

2 Tablespoons (or about 4 large cloves) minced fresh garlic

1 Tablespoon fresh minced ginger or 1/2 Teaspoon dried ginger powder

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Mix this sauce up at least an hour before you plan to use it. The flavors will meld together better the longer it sits and the red pepper flakes will get stronger in flavor. This is aboutthe right stength to give some heat but is not super hot. If you like a hotter taste wait until it has melded for an hour or so taste and THEN add some more red pepper flake or a dash of hot pepper sauce. If you taste it right when it is made it will not seem hot at all but will get hotter the longer it sits.

[kareng]

Yum! Shall I stop by about 7? Perhaps you could serve some pretty drinks with umbrellas?

I make a sauce/salad dressing like this sauce. If you put it in a jar and shake it every once in a while, it mixes together well but gets extra hot the next day. Stir it first with a butter knife in the jar.

[GlutenFreeManna]

Yum! Shall I stop by about 7? Perhaps you could serve some pretty drinks with umbrellas?

I make a sauce/salad dressing like this sauce. If you put it in a jar and shake it every once in a while, it mixes together well but gets extra hot the next day. Stir it first with a butter knife in the jar.

I thought I was coming to YOUR place tonight?!? I'm bringing the food you have the drinks remmember?

The sauce does get hotter the next day that's why I cautioned peopel about adding extra red pepepr flakes--it's easy to go overboard on the heat. This sauce is so yummy I can eat it with a spoon and nothing else. It makes a good coating for chicken on the grill too (like chicken satay) or for tossing with cooked shredded chicken, thin rice noodles and some spring onions to make a quick Chinese noodle salad.

[shadowicewolf]

ooooooh i like this recipe.... -saves it for later-

[love2travel]

I like to use shrimp, chicken and/or pork and make a Thai or Korean dressing rather than a sate/satay sauce (but that, of course, is just personal preference). First I marinate the protein in an Asian pear lemongrass marinade for WOW flavour. When I make the wraps I like to julienne daikon in addition to the carrots and add black sesame seeds. I drizzle with about 20 different sauces but my favourites usually include lemongrass, gingerroot, shiitake and fish sauce. And maybe some sambal olek. I always add cellophane rice noodles and a squeeze of lime juice and toasted cashews for crunch.

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

2 T fish sauce

2 t red chile pepper, ground (I like to buy dried, toast then grind myself)

Just boil the sugar and water until dissolved. Add rest.

[kareng]

I like to use shrimp, chicken and/or pork and make a Thai or Korean dressing rather than a sate/satay sauce (but that, of course, is just personal preference). First I marinate the protein in an Asian pear lemongrass marinade for WOW flavour. When I make the wraps I like to julienne daikon in addition to the carrots and add black sesame seeds. I drizzle with about 20 different sauces but my favourites usually include lemongrass, gingerroot, shiitake and fish sauce. And maybe some sambal olek. I always add cellophane rice noodles and a squeeze of lime juice and toasted cashews for crunch.

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

2 T fish sauce

2 t red chile pepper, ground (I like to buy dried, toast then grind myself)

Just boil the sugar and water until dissolved. Add rest.

GFM - I think we need to have Love2 bring food,too!

[GlutenFreeManna]

GFM - I think we need to have Love2 bring food,too!

I think we need to have her cater every party from now on!

Except I'm allergic to pork and shellfish and can't have most fish sauces...but her sauce does sound good. If I ever find a fish sauce that is shellfish free I will have to try making it.

[CarolinaKip]

Does anyone know of a sauce that is soy and peanut free. I have rice wrappers I'm dying to try! Thanks!

[love2travel]

Does anyone know of a sauce that is soy and peanut free. I have rice wrappers I'm dying to try! Thanks!

The sauce I posted above should be soy (unless fish sauce contains soy?) and peanut free. You could also add a few drops of sesame oil for more flavour. I have scads of other recipes - will look through them for you...

[GlutenFreeManna]

Does anyone know of a sauce that is soy and peanut free. I have rice wrappers I'm dying to try! Thanks!

Perhaps you could try making the peanut sauce with sunflower butter instead? If you try this please let me know how it turns out!

You can also look for an Asian chili sauce that is gluten-free. I tried one once called Maggi (sp?) that was soy free and gluten-free. It's like a spicy/sweet ketchup. It's been a while since I've been able to find it in my stores, however.