Vegetarian Rice Paper Rolls

A hand dunking a vegetarian rice paper roll into a bowl of sauce

Fresh and vibrant Vegetarian Rice Paper Rolls made with baked tofu, fresh vegetables, and black bean or rice noodles. Served with a spicy almond-ginger dipping sauce, these hand-held vegan salad rolls are great for picnics, packed lunches, or road tripping.

Course gluten-free, vegan

Cuisine Asian

Keyword rice paper rolls, Vegetarian

Prep Time 1

Total Time 1

Servings rolls

Calories 243kcal

Author Katie Trant

Ingredients

Baked tofu

16 ounces firm tofu
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
salt and pepper

Salad rolls

8 ounces uncooked rice noodles black bean noodles, or a combination.
2-3 large carrots shredded or julienned
1 large red pepper sliced into thin strips
½ long English cucumber sliced into strips
6-8 radishes sliced paper thin
2 spring onions sliced lengthwise and then into sticks
1 head romaine lettuce washed and torn into pieces
1 bunch cilantro washed and roughly chopped
1 bunch fresh mint leaves torn from the stems
12-16 rice paper wrappers

Almond-Ginger-Chili sauce

3 tablespoon almond butter
2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3½ tablespoon light soy sauce I use Braggs
2 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
1 medium clove garlic crushed or minced
sambal oelek chili paste to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the tofu:

Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Drain the tofu and pat dry, then cut into pencil thick slabs and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, toasted sesame oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn over to ensure both sides are evenly coated.
16 ounces firm tofu, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, salt and pepper
Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and carefully turn. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the tofu is golden and crisp.
Remove from the oven, and set aside to cool.
Once cooled, slice into pencil-thick (about 1cm) sticks.

Prepare the vegetables:

While the tofu is baking, prepare the vegetables. Shred the carrot using a julienne peeler or mandoline, or a very sharp knife. Cut the other vegetables into similar sizes, and as thinly as possible.
2-3 large carrots, 1 large red pepper, ½ long English cucumber, 6-8 radishes, 2 spring onions, 1 head romaine lettuce, 1 bunch cilantro, 1 bunch fresh mint
Prepare the noodles according to package directions. Once softened rinse under cold water and drain well. Add a splash of sesame oil to prevent them from sticking to one another.
8 ounces uncooked rice noodles

To make the sauce:

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together sesame oil, almond butter, liquid aminos, rice vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, crushed garlic. Add a bit of sambal oelek or other chili paste if using, to taste.
3 tablespoon almond butter, 2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 3½ tablespoon light soy sauce, 2 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger, 1 medium clove garlic, sambal oelek

Get ready to roll:

Create and assembly station with a large dish of cold water for soaking the rice papers, something to assemble on (a cutting board does nicely), lettuce, veggies, tofu, and fresh herbs.
Submerge a rice paper wrapper into the cold water and count to five. Then remove from the water, shake it off a bit, and set on the cutting board. It may seem too stiff, but it will continue to absorb water as you work, and soaking for longer will only mean too delicate a wrapper that will tear easily.
Place a few pieces of lettuce, followed by tofu, a few pieces of each kind of vegetable, and a small handful of noodles. Top the noodles with some fresh herbs, then get ready to roll.
Carefully lift one side of the rice paper over the filling, and then use your fingers to pull the filling back towards you a bit. Fold the ends in, and continue to roll until everything is sealed in.
Repeat until you've run out of filling!
Serve with almond-ginger sauce.

Notes

Practice makes perfect! Your first roll may not look great, but I bet your last one will. Just keep trying! And remember, that looks aren't important here. As long as they hold together reasonably well, you're in business.
Salad rolls are best served the same day they're made, but they can be made a day ahead if needed. Line a large container with parchment so they don't stick, and put a very slightly damp paper towel over the top to keep the rice paper from drying out.
Nutrition Information is an estimate only.

Nutrition