If you love edible flowers, then try this floral spring roll recipe. It’s ideal for a light lunch or dinner but the only problem is they look too beautiful to eat.
The flowers show through the rice paper wrapper like flowers in a window.
Linda Brennan said she offered some to her builder and he was so impressed, he took pictures before eating them.
This recipe makes 12 rolls.
Dressing for filling
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons palm sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 dessertspoon sweet chilli sauce
- 1 teaspoon dulse seaweed flakes
- 1 teaspoon tamari soy sauce
- Salt and pepper
Filling and rolls
- 1 small cake of rice vermicelli noodles
- ½ cup packaged flavoured tofu
- 1 cup shredded lettuce leaves
- 2/3 cup grated carrot
- 1/3 cup diced red onion
- 1 small Lebanese cucumber
- 1 pack of rice paper sheets
- Begonia flowers and herbal leaves eg parsley, dill, fennel,
To serve: Ginger dipping sauce
Dressing: Grate the ginger very finely. Add it to a bowl with the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Set aside.
Filling: Soak the rice vermicelli noodles in warm water for 10 minutes until soft. You will need 1 cup rehydrated noodles.
Cut the cucumber in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Slice into fine batons. Slice the tofu to match. Add the tofu and cucumber to a bowl with the remaining ingredients for the filling, then spoon over the dressing and mix through.
Assembly: Soak the rice paper sheets one at a time, for 20-30 seconds, in a shallow dish of water. Remove the softened sheet of rice paper from the water and place it on a clean linen tea towel. Lay a line of begonia flowers and leaves across the top third of the rice paper sheet. Put 1 dessertspoon of the filling mix across the middle third of the rice paper sheet. Fold the bottom third of the rice paper sheet to cover the filling. Fold in the sides. Finally, roll the little parcel away from you firmly. As you roll you will see the flowers and leaves rolling around to meet you, visible inside the rice paper. Repeat until the filling and sheets have been used up.
The Carousel would like to thank Linda from Ecobotanica for this recipe.
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