We love spring rolls in my family. They are the perfect choice for a quick and easy summer meal. You can pack them full of all kinds of fresh goodies from the garden. It is one of the few meals that my kids love to make.
A good spring roll has
a rice wrapper
rice noodles
something salty -pickled leaf vegetables, something sauteed with soy sauce, ume plum paste, bonito flakes, seaweed.
something acidic-pickled root vegetables
something raw and fresh-cumber, shredded carrots, bell peppers, salad greens
something pungent/spicy-cilantro, basil, arugula, mustard greens, wasabi mayonnaise, daikon radish
something fatty/dense/with texture -avocado, meat/seafood, seasoned cooked mushrooms or tofu, bean sprouts, peanuts, shelled edamame
peanut, plum sauce, a sweet chili sauce etc.
I added edible flowers-borage, calendula, pansy, nasturtiums, squash blossoms, malva, marshmallow, violets, mustard, arugula, chive, crysanthemum,
misc. herbs-basil, cilantro, nasturtium leaves, mint,
We boil the rice noodles, rinse and let them cool a bit.
I bought a special tool that allows you to pour boiling water into a container that perfectly softens the rice wraps
I suggest you find an on-line tutorial for that teaches you how to fold and wrap your ingredients into a nice package. It does take a bit of practice. My family finds the larger round wraps the easiest to use.
Also know as high mallow, country mallow, or cheese flower. Not to be confused with Malva rountundifolia/low mallow (a common weed in lawn and garden) or Althea officinalis/marshmallow. All three plants are in the “mallow” family along with hollyhock, Rose of Sharon, and cotton. Species in this family can vary in their edibility, and medicinal properties. They are all my favorite garden flowers as they will bloom from July until there is a hard frost in October.
Sylvestris is found as a lovely cultivated plant that native bees love or as a weed along roads or waste areas. It is more commonly found in Europe. It grows 2-3 feet high. The darker green leaves usually have five lobes. It has many five petaled pink or purple flowers.
The flowers are edible and make a pretty addition to salads. The fresh, not quite mature seeds/cheeses are yummy sauteed in dishes like stir fry and eggs.
The fresh leaves can be used as an emollient, astringent, demulcent, and expectorant. This herb is very useful for “dry” respiratory conditions or inflamed tissues of the external skin or gut.
What ingredients do you like in spring rolls?
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