Spicy Pork Salad Rolls with an Easy Peanut Dipping Sauce


Ingredients:


1 lb ground pork
1 medium onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, mince
d
1/2 tsp sesame oil*
1 teaspoon minced ginger
3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce*
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 green onions, roughly diced
rice noodles, boiled,drained and cooled*
rice paper wrappers*
1 /2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup mint, chopped
cucumber, thinly sliced
lettuce, use whatever your favorite is
(you can also add bean sprouts, julienne carrots, daikon radish, etc., if you want to add additional crunch to your salad rolls)
easy peanut dipping Sauce, recipe follows

* You can pick up any of these items at your local Asian grocery store. It will be A LOT cheaper than buying it at your local grocery store. If you do not have a local Asian grocery store, you can try and find these items at your grocery store in the ethnic food aisle. 



Directions:

Salad Rolls:

In a large frying pan, add pork,onions, garlic, ginger and sesame oil. Cook meat until it is browned. Drain off excess oil and add soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook until most of liquid has cooked off. Add green onions and taste. Adjust seasonings at this time (sugar, salt, pepper). Set aside to cool.



Boil noodles according to package directions. Place in strainer and rinse with cold water. After draining, place on a plate to cool and dry. The noodles will not be "dry", but this will allow them to not be so sticky. I like to separate the noodles in 3 bundles on a plate to cool. 

Wash lettuce, cilantro, mint, and cucumber. Prepare vegetables by removing the leaves and getting rid of the tough stems. Thinly slice cucumbers. Place prepared vegetables on napkins and place in a gallon zip bag, Place in refrigerator until ready to use. 

When you are ready to prepare salad rolls, clear a large amount of counter space. Wipe down the counter and make sure it is very clean. Taking one wrapper at a time, run it under luke warm water and set on counter top. Make sure that every bit of the rice paper has been covered with water. Place on counter. The wrapper will soften in a few minutes. Continue process with additional wrappers. You will not need to use the entire package. Store excess in a zip bag and use later. 



Start by placing a thin piece of lettuce down the center of one end of the rice paper. Cover with a small amount of rice noodles.



Place whatever vegetables you like over the top of the rice noodles. 



Place a small amount of meat over the vegetables. 



Start by rolling the end with the filling tightly, much like rolling a burrito.



After making one complete roll, tuck the sides over the roll and continue rolling to the end of the rice wrapper. You might get frustrated at the beginning, but DON'T GIVE UP! You will get it...practice makes perfect!



Place on a plate and continue steps until you have made all the salad rolls. Cut each roll in half and serve with peanut dipping sauce (see recipe below). 

You can use whatever filling you wish with these salad rolls...boiled and peeled shrimp, grilled chicken, bbq Chinese pork, roasted duck, grilled or baked fish, and tofu. Just about anything works, so experiment with flavors and enjoy!

Easy Peanut Dipping Sauce: 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup natural-style creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 large lime or 2 small limes)
4 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons chile paste *
1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil


* If you prefer your sauce less spicy you can reduce this down to as a little as 1 teaspoon!

Directions:




Whisk all of the ingredients together in a medium pan over medium heat. 



Continue stirring until are ingredients are incorporated and sauce is smooth and bubbling. 

Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use. Warm for 15-30 seconds in the microwave before serving. 



You can serve this sauce with egg rolls, salad rolls, baked or grilled chicken, grilled pork, or even pot stickers. Enjoy!