These spring rolls are the result of a glut of mint and thai basil. I can't seem to consume it fast enough!
I’ve let a few of my thai basil plants bloom. Most gardeners recommend pinching off the flowering heads of a basil plant. If the plant is allowed to flower, and subsequently go to seed, there’s usually a reduction in the quality of flavor from the leaves. I’ve noticed on that on some varieties, that it the overall flavor gets “soapy”. And sometimes, I don’t notice much taste difference at all.
I couldn’t resist the lovely lavender flowers and buds that thai basil produces. So this year, I held back on the pinching... to the delight of neighborhood bees.
These spring rolls are heavily inspired by the Simpler Summer Rolls from The Herbal Kitchen. This has been one of my go-to books for inspiration and recipes using fresh herbs. I've made quite a few changes to the original recipe. For the dipping sauce, I substituted similar ingredients that I keep on hand. Chicken has been added to the rolls to make them more of a main dish, along with reducing the amount of cilantro involved (Nick doesn't care for it.)
It was my first time wrapping spring rolls. I'd say I had about a 75% success rate. Some broke. Some were too floppy. But I managed a few good looking ones out of the batch. I consulted this great video for a wrapping demo. It wasn't too hard to wrap, so definitely give it a try!
Herb Garden Spring Rolls
Inspired by Simpler Summer Rolls from The Herbal Kitchen
Filling:
1 cup cooked chicken, sliced into thin strips
1/4 c. cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. spearmint, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. thai basil, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 c. iceberg lettuce, shredded
1/2 c. roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Twelve 9 inch rice paper rounds
Dipping sauce:
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. Thai fish sauce (it's milder than most Vietnamese ones)
2 tbsp agave nectar
1 thinly sliced green onion, white and green parts
Few drops of Sriracha sauce (to taste)
2 tbsp. or more of water (to taste)
Combine all ingredients for dipping sauce together in a small bowl. If the sauce is too strong, add water to taste.
Toss herbs and lettuce to combine.
Fill a shallow pan with warm tap water. Put four spring roll wrappers into the water, one at a time. Let soak for a couple of minutes. They should be soft and pliable when ready.
Lay one wrapper down on a clean, flat surface. Divide the herb mixture, chicken, and peanuts into thirds. Place a little chicken, greens and a sprinkling of peanuts in a long pile near the bottom on the wrapper (see video). Fold the right and left sides of the wrapper inward to and roll the ingredients up like a burrito. Do the same with the next three wrappers. Then repeat the whole soaking, filling, and rolling routine with the next two batches.
Serve with dipping sauce.
Makes 12 rolls.
Tips: Finding spring roll wrappers is pretty easy these days. I've seen them in most large grocery stores in the Asian / International aisle. They're usually stocked somewhere near the bottom of the shelf beside bags of rice. Your best bet for finding unusual types or sizes is a large Asian Supermarket.
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