Garden Fresh Nasturtium Spring Rolls With Peanut Dipping Sauce

Spring rolls are a great alternative to a traditional salad. They are light, refreshing and make a great finger food. Spring rolls are easy to make and there are many different versions you can try. For this recipe, I focused a peppery edible flower called Nasturtium.

Nasturtium is an easy to grow annual whose leaves and flowers are edible.They come in a variety of warm colors ranging from bright yellows to deep reds.They are simple to grow from seed, like poor soil and light waterings. It’s best to direct sow Nasturtium in the spring in moist, well-drained soil in an area that gets full sun. They did not need to be fertilized; rich soil will result in fuller leaves but few blooms.

As soon as leaves and flowers emerge, they are edible. Continue to pluck the flowers throughout the growing season so you will continue to get more blooms. Nasturtium grows well in containers too. What do they taste like? The flowers are peppery and the leaves are milder and taste similar to arugula. Use them in salads or as a garnish to add a spicy and colorful kick to your dish.

Garden Fresh Nasturtium Spring Rolls

• 8-10 medium-sized cooked and seasoned shrimp, deveined and cut in half
• 1 large carrot, cut in matchsticks
• handful of nasturtium flowers and leaves
• 1 bunch of chives, chopped
• 8 rice wrappers
• 1 skein of *rice vermicelli, softened
• half of a large mango, sliced

*To soften the rice vermicelli, put the skein into a bowl of hot water. Let is sit for a few minutes. Once the noodles have softened, drain and let cool.

Peanut Sauce:

• 2 teaspoons sesame seed  oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce (like Sriracha)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• Chopped peanuts for garnish

Special equipment: Pie pan (optional)

Directions:

Line up your spring roll ingredients; this will make it easier to assemble.

Fill the pie pan with warm water. Dip wrapper one at a time into the water for 1-2 seconds to soften. Lay the wrapper a chopping board or a dinner plate. The wrapper will  become pliable is a few seconds.

In a row across the center of the rice wrapper lay the Nasturtium leaves and flowers down first. Next, lay the cooked shrimp on top of the flowers, some vermicelli, carrots and mango slices.

Lastly, sprinkle with the chopped chives. Leave an inch on each side of the filling.

Fold the sides inward, then start to roll tightly and firmly from the end that is near to you into a cylinder, enclosing the filling completely.

For the dipping sauce:

In a bowl, add the peanut butter, water, soy sauce, sesame oil and sweet chili sauce. Whisk to combine.

Add the minced garlic and ginger. Mix to combine well.

Serve in small bowls, garnished with the chopped peanuts.