Soft Spring Rolls with Smoked Salmon and Fresh Basil

Soft Spring Rolls with Smoked Salmon and Fresh Basil are a pleasure to see and to eat and simple to make if you set up a small assembly line with all the components ready to roll up. The secret ingredient here is an extra pairs of hands, to make the job interesting and fun.

Ingredients

3 ounces thin dried rice noodles
4 shiitake mushroom caps, sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
12 round spring roll wrappers
2 cups thinly sliced smoked salmon
1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks (about 1 cup)
2 small carrots, cut into match sticks (about 1 cup)
1 medium avocado, diced
1 cup basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 cup cilantro, chopped
½ cup red onion, minced
½ cup plain peanuts, coarsely chopped

for the dipping sauce:
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1 green onion, minced

Directions

the spring rolls:
Submerge rice noodles in hot water 8-10 minutes, until soft and clear. Drain and cut noodles into 2-inch pieces, set aside. Toss mushrooms with soy sauce in a small bowl, set aside.

Submerge one spring roll wrapper in a shallow pan or bowl of warm water for about 30 seconds or until softened. Remove it carefully, draining the water. Place it before you flat on the work surface. Arrange the smoked salmon slices, cucumber, carrots, avocado, basil, cilantro, red onion, rice noodles, mushrooms and peanuts in a log shape in center of wrapper. Lift the wrapper edge nearest to you and roll it away from you, up and over the fillings, tucking it in under them compressing everything gently into a cylinder shape, folding ends to seal. Set the roll aside on a platter seam-side down to dry.

the dipping sauce:
Combine rice wine vinegar and green onion in a small bowl.

Serve spring rolls whole or halved crosswise, with dipping sauce.

Makes 10-12 rolls

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