Sesame Ground 'Chicken' Rice Paper Rolls
1 package ground 'chicken' (or crumbled tofu or other protien substitute)
1 med onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, grated
2 shitake mushroom caps, quartered, then sliced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or any other oil)
1/2 cup frozen peas (or fresh)
1/2 package fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup carrots, shredded
2-3 stems green onion, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce/teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3-4 rice paper sheets, reconstituted
sesame seeds
chopped fresh basil
pepper - to taste
In a medium pan (non-stick works best) fry onion, garlic, mushrooms and ground ‘chicken’ with oil until browned. Toss in the peas at the last minute, just to warm through. Season with pepper (if desired). Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Add spinach, grated carrot, ginger, green onion, soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Season with pepper if desired.
Spoon a generous amount of mixture onto the middle of a piece of rice paper. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and finely chopped basil. From one side, start rolling the rice paper so that ends up looking something similar to a tortilla.
Serve on its own, or with your favourite peanut dipping sauce (peanut butter and soy sauce works well if you don’t have any store bought sauce).
Refrigerate any leftover amount of ‘chicken’ and vegetable mixture.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
I omitted the spinach and added lettuce to the rolls, and I used mock duck for the meaty thing. The filling came out kind of sweet (probably due to the "duck" itself), and was a nicely seasoned stirfry. It's not really my first choice for a spring roll filling though, as it's a little wet and has enough flavor to be eaten without a sauce (but the wrapper needs a sauce). I guess I just prefer the salad-type rolls more, and would like this better as a stirfry with rice.