Fresh Veggie Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce + Orlana Vinho Verde Rosé #WinePW

This week the Wine Pairing Weekend Bloggers are looking at Vinho Verde. Since it's summer and their price points are so attractive, I decided to do a nice exploration of a few bottles of Vinho Verde Rosé. The Orlana Vinho Verde Rosé was the third bottle I opened and poured. I will be sharing more about the wine and my tasting notes during the upcoming #WinePW event. For now, here's the recipe with which I paired it...

Fresh Veggie Spring Rolls 

with Peanut Dipping Sauce

When D graduated from 8th grade - and I was in charge of the camping kitchen - I wrangled fifty students to prep, cook, and serve three different meals. Since they were graduating from an international school, I met with each team ahead of the trip and helped them plan a themed menu. The lunch crew picked Vietnam and made Fresh Grilled Shrimp Spring Rolls. I decided to make a plant-based version for this pairing.

Ingredients makes 12

Fresh Veggie Spring Rolls

• 12 small rice paper rounds
• julienned carrots, approximately 1 cup
• thin batons organic cucumber, approximately 1 cup
• thin batons red bell pepper, approximately 1 cup
• 1/2 cup fresh organic mint leaves, destemmed and torn
• 1/2 cup fresh organic basil leaves, destemmed and torn
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, destemmed and torn plus more for garnish
• 1 cup cooked rice vermicelli noodles, trimmed to 3" lengths
• Also needed: fresh mango cubes for garnish, water for dipping rice paper rounds

Peanut Dipping Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons oil (I used 1 Tablespoon canola oil and 1 Tablespoon sesame oil)
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 cup peanut butter (I used creamy salted peanut butter)
• 1 to 2 Tablespoons Sriracha or Sambal chili sauce

Procedure

Peanut Dipping Sauce

In a small saucepan, heat oils on low high. Stir in the garlic and warm until it becomes aromatic, approximately 2 to 3 mintues. Pour in the water and whisk in the hoison sauce and peanut butter. Mix well and heat until it begins to bubble on the sides. Stir in Sriracha or Sambal chili sauce to taste. Set aside until ready to serve.

Fresh Veggie Spring Rolls

Fill a pie pan with cold water. One at a time, dip 1 sheet of rice paper in the cold water for 5 to 10 seconds to soften slightly. Place wrapper on a clean work surface and top with veggies, noodles, and herbs. Fold short ends over the filling and roll as tightly as you can to enclose. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Serve immediately with the dressing. I like to slice them in half so diners can drizzle the peanut sauce into the roll instead of dipping it in.