Veg Rolls / Lettuce Wraps

Serve with soy or chili sauce. Serve 2 per person if serving as starters.

Ingredients:
Portabella Mushroom - 1 big cap, cut into 3 inch slices.
Shredded cabbage - 2 cups
Soy sauce - 1 tsp
Vegetable oil - 2 tsp
Chili oil - 1 tsp
Sesame seeds - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste

Cucumber - 1 medium, cut into thin long strips, about 3 inches in length
Vinegar - 1 tsp
Sugar - pinch

Shredded carrot - 1 cup
Iceberg Lettuce greens - 3 cups, rough chopped lengthwise
Mint leaves - 20

Rice paper - 10 OR ( iceberg lettuce -2 refer alternate serving suggestion below)

Method:

• Heat a pan and add vegetable oil. Add cabbage and stir.
• After about half a minute, add mushroom.
• After cabbage and mushroom soften, add salt, soy sauce and chili oil.
• Top with sesame seeds and set this filling aside to cool.
• Add vinegar and sugar to cucumber and set aside.

Suggested assembly line setup for rolls:

• On the counter or table, set a cutting board, big enough for the rice paper to fit and place a damp napkin on it.
• On its left, place cabbage-mushroom filling, carrot, cucumber, mint leaves and lettuce in bowls.
• On the right side of the board, keep a shallow dish filled with water to dip the rice paper and also keep the rice papers handy.
• Above the board, place a tray or a dish big enough to hold 10 rolls. Line it with a wet towel. Keep another wet towel ready to cover the rolls as you make them to prevent drying.

How to assemble roles:

• Take a rice paper and immerse it in water. After a minute, turn and keep for a few.
• Remove and place on the wet towel on the board. Take care not to allow the edges to fold.
• Place the cabbage-mushroom filling in the lower center part on the rice paper, leaving about 1 1/2 inch lower border and 2 inches on either side.
• Add a layer of carrot shreds.
• Add about 4-5 cucumber strips.
• Place 2 mint leaves.
• Add about a handful of lettuce.
• Start rolling the bottom over the filling, ensuring that the filling is tightly held together inside the wrapper and roll 2 times.
• Now fold the left edge over the center. Do the same with the right edge.
• Continue to roll till you reach the top end of the paper.
• Keep the rolls moist till ready to serve.

Alternate serving suggestion - Lettuce Wraps:

• Mix the cabbage-mushroom filling, carrot, cucumber and mint in a bowl.
• Cut lettuce into half. Place in a bowl of ice water for about an hour. Pick the lettuce halves and separate the leaves. Dry the leaves and stack them. Refrigerate for about 2 hours to make them crisp.
• Serve the leaves, filling, sauce and roasted peanuts or chopped chestnuts separately.
• Each person makes their own wrap by placing 1-2 spoons of filling in the center and adding sauce/peanuts to taste.