Tofu Rainbow Rice Paper Rolls
Spice up your next BBQ with these colourful rainbow rolls. These rolls are great as appetizers, snacks, or light meals ( we added our #tofu for a bit of protein ) . They’re also amazing for summer gatherings and bbq’s—especially when you want to wow your friends and family.
INGREDIENTS:
TOFU RICE PAPER ROLLS
16 rice paper wrappers (mine were 22 cm diameter)
400 g Pureland Organic tofu or Kingland Organic Firm tofu, pressed*
1 red pepper, julienned
1 small cucumber, julienned
2 carrots, julienned
¼ small red cabbage, sliced thinly
50 g vermicelli rice noodles
1 red chilli, finely sliced (optional)
2 spring onions, finely sliced (optional)
handful of fresh mint and coriander
PEANUT SAUCE AND TOFU MARINADE
1 cup roasted (unsalted) peanuts**
20 dates
about 4-5 tbsp / 60-75 ml lime juice
2 tbsp / 30 ml tamari (for gluten free version) or soy sauce
1 garlic clove, grated finely
1-2 tbsp Sriracha
METHOD:
PEANUT SAUCE AND TOFU MARINADE
Pit the dates and place them in a small bowl. Pour boiling water over them and soak for 10 minutes.
Prepare vermicelli noodles according to packet instructions.
Smash peanuts (in smaller batches) into a coarse powder in a pestle and mortar. Remove dates from the water and blitz them into a thick paste with a hand blender or in a food processor. Add lime juice, most of the crushed peanuts (reserve 2 tbsp to sprinkle inside the rolls), tamari, garlic and Sriracha. Save 2-3 tbsp to coat the baked tofu. Loosen the rest of the sauce up with a few tablespoons of water if it’s too thick for dipping.
PEANUT TOFU
Heat up the oven to 175º C / 350º F. Line a baking tray with a piece of baking parchment.
Cut pressed tofu into 32 long strips. I cut each 200 g into 8 strips and then cut each strip in half.
Put tofu into a shallow dish and sprinkle with tamari or soy sauce on both sides. Let them sit in the seasoning until the oven is ready.
Place tofu on the prepared baking tray. Bake in the middle of the oven for 30 mins, turning tofu sticks half way through.
Once the baked tofu cools off, coat it in 2-3 tbsp of the peanut sauce.
SUMMER ROLLS
Dampen a clean kitchen towel and put on a clean surface. Prepare rice wrappers, one at a time, according to instructions on the packet. Put rehydrated rice wrapper on the damp towel.
Start filling the wrapper, but make sure you do not overfill. I put two mint leaves at the bottom, followed by a small clump of noodles, followed by vegetables and two sticks of tofu. I finished with some coriander, two slices of chilli, a few slices of spring onion and a sprinkle of smashed peanuts.
Once you finish with the filling, start rolling each like a burrito. Fold sides over and start rolling from the bottom making sure you hold the filling tightly with your other hand. It takes a few goes to get the knack of it.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you’ve run out of your filling or / and wrappers.
Cut rolls in half and enjoy them fresh, dipped in the prepared sauce.
