Fresh Spring Rolls with Duck and Cashew Sauce
Fresh Spring Rolls
These fresh spring rolls are gluten, dairy and soy free. I use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce in my recipe. These rolls can be consumed by anyone whose digestive system does not tolerate soy or following soy free diet.
Fresh spring rolls are originated from Vietnam. Chinese immigrants introduced spring rolls to Vietnam, and it has been modified to local tastes. Spring rolls traditionally consisting of pork, prawn, duck, vegetables, noodles, and other ingredients wrapped in rice paper.
They are not deep-fried or cooked on the outside. We serve these fresh spring rolls on room temperature. The other versions of these rolls are served fried. Do you know Lumpia? It is commonly found in Indonesia and the Philippines, deep-fried and crunchy outside. In the Netherlands and Belgium, the name lumpia became the generic name for “spring roll” in Dutch. We can taste lot of variations of spring rolls around the world. Be boldly creative and use your favorite vegetables and meat.
How to Wrap Rice Paper Rolls
Rice paper is dry and hard, it is not pliant. It has to soak in lukewarm water before use. The first step is to spread a wet kitchen towel on the table. We will place the soaked rice paper on it. Otherwise, on a dry surface the noodles stick and it’s impossible to work with it. Fill a shallow 24 cm diameter round pan with 2 cm low warm water. Place one rice paper in the water and let it soak for about 1 minute, until the sheet is pliable. Then take soaked rice paper out from the water and lay on the kitchen towel carefully. Center the filling in the bottom third or center, respectively. And finally wrap the rice paper like a burrito. Bring the lower edge up over the filling, then fold in the two side flaps, and then roll the entire thing up.
Serve spring rolls whole or sliced in half with the cashew sauce. Enjoy!
Asian Style Dishes
Fresh Spring Rolls with Duck and Cashew Sauce
Ingredients
For Spring Rolls
- 1 duck breast about 240 gram
- 80 ml coconut aminos
- 80 gram sweet potato noodles
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 60 gram julienned carrot
- 60 gram julienned beetroot
- 2 spring onion slice thinly
- 3 mini cucumbers cut julienne
- 1 little gem lettuce
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 8 sheets rice paper for spring rolls
- Salt and pepper
For the Cashew Sauce
- 4 tbsp cashew butter
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 5 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ tsp chili powder optional
- Salt
Instructions
- Make the cashew sauce. Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Add 1-2 tablespoon water if your sauce is too thick. Season with salt. Set aside.
- Put sweet potato noodles into warm water and let them soak for 10 minutes.
- Bring 1.5 liter water with 1 tsp salt to boil in a pot, and cook noodles for 2-4 minutes, according to instructions on the package.
- Drain cooked noodles, toss with sesame oil, add 1 pinch of salt and set aside.
- Score the skin of the duck breasts (but not the meat) in a cross-hatch pattern. Season them with a bit of salt and pepper.
- Heat up a frying pan on medium high heat. When it is hot, lay the breasts skin side down and reduce the heat to medium. I do not use extra fat, because the skin is fatty enough. Where the skin does not contact with the pan, I push it down with a tongue. I cook it for 4 minutes, until the skin is golden brown.
- Turn the breasts and cook the other side for 3 minutes.
- Cut the breast to long thin slices and place back to the frying pan. Add 80 ml coconut aminos and cook for 3 minutes on high heat. Stir frequently. Set aside.
- Spread a wet kitchen towel on the table. We will place the soaked rice paper on it.
- Fill a shallow 24 cm diameter round pan with 2 cm lukewarm water. Place one rice paper in the water and let it soak for about 1 minute, until the sheet is pliable.
- Take soaked rice paper out from the water and lay on the kitchen towel carefully.
- Place one-eighth of coriander, beetroot, spring onion, cucumber and noodles on the rice paper. Center the filling in the bottom third or center, respectively.
- Put 2 small gem lettuce leaves on them and finally place one-eighth of duck breast slices to the top.
- Wrapping rice paper rolls is like making a burrito. Bring the lower edge up over the filling, then fold in the two side flaps, and then roll the entire thing up.
- Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Serve spring rolls whole or sliced in half with the cashew sauce. Enjoy!
