Okay. I don't know about you, but when I hear spring rolls I think of the small, greasy, crunchy, steamy, vegetable-filled appetizers that you get from the Chinese Food store. This dish is not what that is. I started seeing these about a year ago and they were either marketed as spring rolls or summer rolls. (If you have knowledge of this dish or are from the place of its origin, please let me know what they're properly called.) The package of wraps I got stated "Spring Roll Paper" so I'll just stick with that. After discovering these on Pinterest and seeing them a few times in YouTube videos, I had to give them a try. They're just so simple that anyone could do them. Also, they're extremely versatile and you could put virtually anything you wanted to in them. Thus, we have: Tofu Spring Rolls.
Like most times when I try a (seemingly) simple dish for the first time, I didn't do any research. I count the multiple videos and Pinterest posts watched when first seeing this dish as all the research I need. So, with that prior knowledge I knew I needed three main things: a protein, sliced veggies, and the wrapping paper. I normally see Spring Rolls made with shrimp, but I don't eat that and I didn't feel like using salmon so tofu was the second runner up. I used Extra Firm Tofu, as that's usually the only kind I use in my tofu meals. This blocked happened to be frozen because I was stocked up and didn't want any of them to go bad. This ended up helping with the texture as it was a little more "meaty" than the regular texture of tofu. To prep them, all I did was slice them into roughly half-centimeter pieces so that they came out as rectangular sheets and then I seasoned them with an array of spices. The great thing about this is that you can season them however you like. Here is my arsenal:
I wanted to make sure the tofu kept it's shape and I also wanted to add some depth to the flavor, so I went ahead and pan seared the slices with some sesame oil. You can use whatever oil you like. I chose sesame since it would have a punchier flavor than olive oil. I cooked them for about 3 minutes on both sides until they had a nice browning to them. The tofu is the only thing I needed to cook because everything else was just fresh veggies. I chose to use cucumber, carrot, and spinach. As thinly as I could, I sliced those up and they were ready.
There was probably enough tofu and veggies to make 6 - 8 rolls, but I only made 4: two for me and two for my partner. Of course, mine were the test subjects, but they were still really good. The changes I made before making them for my partner involved scratching the spinach (only because mine were old and very chewy/stringy) and I sautéed the carrots since their toughness kind of disturbed the structure when eating the roll. (I'd bite into carrots and since they're so tough it would just be a long string of carrot coming out while pulling all the other ingredients with it. It made eating the roll messier than it should be.)
The paper I sued had instructions on the back to guide me in the paper prep and folding process, so I'd suggest to just follow the instructions of whatever paper you use. After getting everything set up, I was ready to start assembling! Needless to say: I was very excited for this part. When you make these be prepared. The wrapping part can either go very bad or mediocre. My rolls teetered somewhere in the middle.
Now for the sauce! These rolls are usually (from what I've seen) served with some sort of peanut sauce. I lied earlier about not doing any research. This was the only thing I researched and honestly it was a waste of time, I could've done without it. I didn't know what else to put in it other than peanut butter, water, and soy sauce and low and behold those along with hoisin sauce were the only ingredients. I didn't have hoisin, so I looked for a substitute and guess what is the first substitute listed: soy sauce. I may never research foods again. So I just put two dollops of peanut butter, a few dabs of soy sauce and whisked those together while adding water until it was a nice smooth, fluid consistency. Don't get too excited for this part, it just tastes like salty peanut butter. Not bad, but nothing to write home about. I however, thing it definitely compliments the freshness of the spring roll. My partner begged to differ.
Guess what? We're done! That's about it for this "recipe". I really hope you try this out because it is so simple you don't need any measurements or anything. You don't even have to season your tofu. I choose to because plain tofu is a bit bland so at the very least, sprinkle some salt on there, would ya? Anyways, let me know down in the comments if you have tried these Spring/Summer rolls, before. Also, let me know what you call them and what you would make them with.
With all that being said, I hope you have a wonderful, Sunny day. Thank you so much for being here.
Tofu Spring Rolls
Ingredients
sliced extra firm tofu
sesame oil
[seasonings]
thinly sliced carrots, sautéed
fresh spinach
sliced cucumber
creamy peanut butter
soy sauce
water
Instructions
Season your tofu to your liking. On medium heat, add a little bit of sesame oil to the pan and pan sear the tofu for about 3 minutes on both sides or until golden brown. Set your tofu aside.
Place your carrots into the same pan and cover it. Let them cook for about three minutes or until tender. Set aside.
Follow the instructions on your package of spring roll paper for preparation and wrapping.
Assemble. The order of assembly is unimportant, but I placed my tofu first so that it would show on the top when I finished wrapping.
For the peanut sauce: in a small bowl, whisk together, creamy peanut butter, soy sauce, and water until the consistency is silky smooth.
Enjoy! Grab your roll, dip it in your peanut sauce and take a big bite. I hope you like it.
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