Sometimes your kids want to do all kinds of crafts and activities that, while creative, creates a huge mess that eventually just ends up in the trash. This recipe is the best of both worlds! I originally fell head over heels for fresh rolls at my local Thai restaurant. They pack such a punch of flavor and hit all the good parts on the palate of savory, sour, sweet, salty. I decided to come up with my own version for when we get a hankering and the kids want to put their hands all over things in the name of art.

I really like that we can all sit around and talk while we chop the veggies and fill the rolls. There’s also some water play involved. Who needs a water table when you can just make fresh rolls? I mean really. I especially love that they are nutrient dense due to the wild caught shrimp that are loaded with minerals, vitamin k2 and iodine.

I’m going to show you the way I make our fresh rolls. My 8 year old chopped and shredded all the veggies for this demo. I think she did a pretty good job!

Ingredients: Makes about 20 rolls

1.5lbs wild caught shrimp (They came peeled and deveined. Mine were tiny, medium can also be used.)

2 average sized cucumbers cut into thin strips (I had organic)

3 large shredded carrots (I had organic)

1/4t apple cider vinegar or vinegar of choice (here)

1 pinch of mineral rich salt (here)

1/2 large thinly sliced raw purple or red onion

2 cups shredded lettuce of choice (I had an organic red leaf on hand)

1/2 of an average grocery store sized bunch of cilantro (I had organic)

20 rice paper wrappers (like this)

roasted/toasted sesame seeds (here)

Sauce:

1c coconut aminos, a delicious, non-coconutty tasting soy sauce alternative that’s naturally sweet (here)

3T sesame oil (here)

1.5t apple cider vinegar or vinegar of choice (here)

1 pinch chili flakes (here)

My shrimp was frozen so I placed it into lightly simmering water till it turned pink and curled up. It took about 5 minutes. If you have precooked shrimp, skip this part. If it’s already defrosted it will take about 2-3 minutes. 

As soon as it was done cooking, I dumped it into a colander and rinsed it with really cold water to stop the cooking. There it sat to dry off while my daughter prepped the veggies which included adding the vinegar and pinch of salt to stir into the shredded carrots and I made the dipping sauce for the fresh rolls.

 

Place all of the ingredients for the sauce into a bowl and mix them together. 

At this point everything was chopped and we set up a little assembly line with the veggies on a few cutting boards. The carrots were vinegar-ed, salted and mixed and a bowl of filtered water (here) was placed beside it. 

Each wrapper gets soaked for about 15 seconds. It continues to soften after it is removed. So, soak it and place in on a large plate, cutting board or countertop. 

In the middle of the wrapper, place 3-4 finely chopped cucumber slices.

Put down about 1t of your vinegar-ed, salted carrots

Put in a few finely sliced purple onion pieces

Add on 6 mini shrimp or 2 medium sized shrimp. 

Add about 1T of your lettuce to both sides

Place about 6 cilantro leaves all around your little pile there.

Fold the top and the bottom of the wrapper.

Roll over a side either from your right or left. Tuck the ingredients into the little pocket you’ve created as you roll. 

Finish by sprinkling on the toasted or roasted sesame seeds. If it’s too dry for them to stick, dip your finger into the water and re-wet the top of the roll then add the sesame seeds.  

Let your rolls dry about 7 minutes or longer before serving so they aren’t overly chewy. They should be very easy to bite and chew. During this time, pour your sauce into condiment cups like this. Enjoy!