Tofu Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

5 from 1 vote

Tofu Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

These tofu spring rolls are filled with crisp veggies, fried tofu, fresh herbs, and vermicelli noodles. Don't forget the hoisin peanut sauce.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Total Time50

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Keyword: appetizer

Servings: rolls

Calories: 266kcal

Author: Kelsey Smith

Equipment

Ingredients

For the spring rolls:

6 ounces rice vermicelli noodles
1–2 cups vegetable oil for frying
16 ounce extra-firm tofu drained, pressed, and cut into ½-inch sticks
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
12 sheets rice paper wrappers square wrappers, bánh tráng
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce about ½ - 1 head of romaine lettuce
1 cup shredded red cabbage about ¼ medium red cabbage
1 cup thinly julienned red bell pepper about 1 medium red bell pepper
1 cup shredded carrot about 2-3 medium carrots
1 bunch fresh mint leaves
1 bunch fresh Thai basil leaves
1 bunch fresh cilantro

For the sauce:

¼ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup hoisin
2 teaspoons Sambal Oelek
¼ cup warm water
2 tablespoons peanuts roughly chopped, optional

Instructions

Prepare the spring rolls:

Cook rice vermicelli noodles according to the package directions. Drain noodles and set aside.
In a frying pan with tall sides or a Dutch oven, heat about ½-inch of vegetable oil on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. The amount of oil needed will vary depending on the size of your pan.
Once the oil is hot, add the tofu and fry until golden, tossing occasionally to fry all sides, about 5 to 8 minutes. Place the tofu on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil and season with salt and pepper. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your pan.
Dampen your counter or work surface with water or lightly grease it with vegetable oil to prevent your rice paper from sticking.
Dip a sheet of rice paper into a large bowl of warm water or pass it under gently running water. The entire surface should briefly come in contact with water, but do not soak the rice paper. The rice paper will soften as fillings are added.
Place the rice paper with one corner facing you. Create a small bed of shredded lettuce on the lower third of the wrapper, closest to you. Place a large pinch of vermicelli noodles on top, and then place 1 to 2 pieces of tofu on top of the noodles.
Next, add a large pinch of red cabbage, 2 to 3 pieces of red bell pepper, a large pinch of carrots, 2 mint leaves, 2 Thai basil leaves, and 2 cilantro leaves. To make it easier to roll, try adding these in horizontal rows working upwards instead of placing them a single pile (see photos).
Fold the lower third of the rice paper over the filling, then fold in both the left and right corners over the filling. Continue to gently roll the rice paper from the bottom up. The rice paper should cling and seal itself. Dab water along the seams if it needs some help. Cover your completed spring rolls with a damp paper towel and repeat until you run out of filling ingredients or rice paper.

Prepare the sauce:

In a medium-sized bowl, add the creamy peanut butter, hoisin, and Sambal Oelek. Whisk together and add one tablespoon of warm water at a time to thin. The amount of water will vary depending on the consistency of the peanut butter used. Top the sauce with chopped peanuts and serve immediately.

Notes

Nutrition: The nutrition information provided here is simply an estimate based on 12 spring rolls. However, this recipe can make up to 18 rolls, depending on how much of each ingredient is used. Additionally, since this tofu is fried, the amount of oil absorbed by vary. The nutrition was estimated assuming 1 tablespoon of oil makes it into each spring roll (based on 12 rolls).

Storage: These spring rolls will be good for up to one day when stored in the refrigerator. Cover them with a damp paper towel and store them in an airtight container, or seal with plastic wrap.

Nutrition