Tired of Christmas food yet? Me too. Although I simply can’t wait for a traditional Swedish Julbord, it does not take long for me to feel utterly saturated by the salt, the fat and the sheer amount on offer. I start wanting healthy dishes and greens again which is  my body’s way of asking for  balance and proper sustenance. What to do?<!–more–>

Lurking in the cupboard was a Vietnamese spring roll kit that I picked up from Waitrose. You know the type. Rice noodles, rice pancakes and a dipping sauce ready in a box. Although it has the ring of fast food (it comes pre-assembled after all) what makes these spring rolls good or bad really depends on what you put inside them – in our case green beans, carrots, ginger, garlic, spinach and coriander. So far so good. We sliced, shredded, softened, wrapped and dipped. Heaven!

Rice pancakes can be a bit fiddley as they break easy (as you can see from my picture) but you soon get the hang of it and who needs perfection anyway? The good thing is you can fill them with almost any veggies and herbs to create the mixture that works best for you. It makes a great starter or snack – lunch boxes is another idea. Let your imagination run wild and have a go!

Vietnamese Spring Rolls (makes 8 rolls)

1 pack of Vietnamese spring rolls (8 pancakes, rice noodles, dipping sauce)

1 carrot, Julienned

2 handfuls of green beans, finely sliced lengthwise

1/2 pack of spinach

2 garlic cloves

2″ ginger root, thinly

coriander

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

How to:

1. Place rice noodles in bowl and cover with boiling water. Let soften under lid for about 5 min.

2. Put the green beans in a pan with the oil and garlic – you don’t want to cook them, only gently soften on low heat. Once done put aside. Repeat with the carrots and spinach.

3. Once the noodles are soft, drain and rinse. Make sure you place all your ingredients (beans, carrots, ginger, spinach, rice noodles, coriander) into small individual bowls. You are now ready to make the rolls.

4. Soften the rice pancakes individually in warm water for about a minute. Once soft, place on cutting board and put a little of each ingredient into the roll. Start folding the bottom, followed by the sides. Finish by rolling until the top flap is stuck to the roll. Place on serving plate and repeat until all pancakes are used up.

5. Serve with sweet chilli and soy sauce. Enjoy! x