Thai Basil Rolls
On numerous occasions in the Far East I found myself searching for these fresh basil rolls. Let’s just say I couldn’t find them very often, in fact perhaps only once, so didn’t get a chance to really satisfy my cravings with the authentic version. Ever since we have been back, I have wanted to make them myself. One day, as I had all the ingredient I needed (from my recent trip to the local chinese shop) I decided to make what I believe are the most amazing fresh basil rolls :). I really only wanted to experiment making a few as a starter, but there turned out to be 12 in total for me and my husband to devour! They were so easy to make and so healthy, it was a heavenly experience to eat them. I took some rolls for lunch the next day and shared them with a co-worker and let’s say she did enjoy them very very much!
It would seem that I no longer have to go to a Thai restaurant to eat unlimited amounts of fresh basil rolls!
Makes 10-12 rolls; Total time: 2o-25 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup soaked rice vermicelli noodles, but run through cold water
10-12 round rice wrapper sheets
1 bunch fresh Thai holy basil leaves (not the normal supermarket one)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro/coriander
1 cups bean sprouts (optional)
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
100 g tofu, cut into matchsticks
100 g shiitake mushrooms, cut into matchsticks
1 tsp soy sauce
Dipping Sauce (yields 1 cup of sauce):
3/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
2 tablespoon water
1. Combine all the sauce ingredients and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tsp of oil in pan, tofu, mushrooms and soy sauce. Stir fry for five minutes or until mushroom are cooked. Set aside. Be careful not to stir too much as you don’t want the tofu to crumble.
3. Fill a large bowl with hot water (not boiling). Dip a wrapper in water for about 30 seconds until soft and flexible. Lay wrapper on a flat surface.Add another wrapper to the hot water as you fill and roll the first one.
4. Place 3-4 basil leaves in center, side by side, about 2 inches from edge of wrapper. Lay two pieces of tofu and mushrooms each on basil, followed by small amounts of bean sprouts, lettuce, carrots, noodles, and coriander leaves.
5. Starting at one end, roll the wrapper over once, fold both sides in toward the center, and continue rolling as tightly as possible without tearing. To seal it wet the edge of the wrapper with a little water and press it down gently. You will quickly get the hang of working with the rice sheets and like with my attempt, the first one rarely comes together the best and should be used as a taste test 🙂
6. Repeat for remaining rice sheets. Serve with dipping sauce .
BEST Spicy Basil Tofu EVER!
One of my favourite Asian dishes of all time is the spicy basil tofu from a Thai restaurant in Atlanta called Top Spice. When we were travelling the far east earlier this year, we had this dish at a restaurant on the small island of Koh Lanta in Thailand. It looked gorgeous and tasted out of the world. So impressed was I that I asked the cook (in my best Thai!) if I could come the next day and learn from him how to make it. Sure enough, I was there learning how to make it the most authentic way in a somewhat basic (mosquito-ridden) kitchen. Taking into consideration what I learned there and another good recipe, below is the combination that I think makes an amazing spicy basil tofu. I think it’s definitely comparable to the one at Top Spice! 🙂
The non-negotiable ingredient in this recipe is the holy basil (tulsi). You can get this Thai basil at an Asian supermarket and the standard supermarket basil is completely different and most definitely not a substitute. Holy basil’s aroma and subtle hint in the dish works brilliantly to bring all the flavours together. Another ingredient that I think is equally important is the vegetarian (shrimp-free) chilli paste. We got our chilli paste from Chiang Mai. Having dined at an amazing veggie restaurant (May Kaidee) we had to ask where she got her veggie paste from; it was quite a mission to find as the shop was only a ‘hole in the wall’ in a huge food market. (Having found the place, we were so elated and desperate to buy more vegetarian Thai ingredients, but the language barrier limited us and we nearly walked away with a herbal constipation and vomiting cure!) We now use the chilli paste a lot in our Asian cooking and absolutely love it. Though, if you can’t get hold of the Thai veggie chilli paste, you will be able to get the kick from the chinese chilli paste but perhaps not the full flavour. Not sure what we will do when our jar is over!
This Spicy Basil Tofu is really healthy and quick to make and did I mention, tasty?! 🙂
Serves 4/ Total time 15-20 minutes
600 g tofu, cut in to 1″ chunks
2 medium red or green bell peppers, cut into thick slices or chunks
1/2 large onion or 1 medium onion, cut into thick slices
3/4 cup vegetable stock
1/2 tbsp Thai vegetarian chilli paste
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
4 tbsp oil
Big handful of holy basil leaves (1 cup worth at least :))
salt and pepper to taste
For Paste:
12 garlic cloves
1/2 large onion or 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 to 3 hot Thai green chilies
1. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a frying pan or wok. Pan fry the tofu and turn every few minutes so that each piece is golden all over and has a thin crust. Do not stir too much, just move the tofu around by shaking the pan or using tongs. This process should take roughly 10-12 minutes and once done, remove from pan/wok and leave aside for later.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the paste by pulsing it to get a rough paste. Be sure not to make it into a fine paste.
3. In the same pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil and add the paste. Saute for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat, making sure not to burn the garlic.
4. Next add bell peppers and onions saute for about 2 minutes. Add in soy sauce, sugar, chili paste and stock. Stir-fry for a few minutes to allow the sauce to thicken a bit.
5. Add in tofu and stir-fry for 2 more minutes to allow the sauce coat the tofu. Add the cupful of basil leaves and stir it in. Serve this dish with steamed rice.
We had this dish together with the Aubergine Curry at a recent vegan dinner party for some friends and I think the meal went down a treat.
VegDelights 