Rice Paper Spring Rolls (Not Fried)

🥗 Fresh Vietnamese Rolls: Freshness in Every Bite

Known as "Nem Cuốn" or summer rolls, this recipe banishes the idea that Asian food must be heavy and fried. Using rice paper wrappers, we create a translucent, low-calorie casing for a vibrant filling based on raw vegetables and cooked prawns. They are visually stunning and extremely easy to digest.

🦐 Why it is exceptionally healthy

• Raw Vegetables: By not cooking the filling, we preserve the vitamin C, folic acid, and enzymes of the vegetables and fruits intact.
• Zero Frying: We drastically reduce calories and oxidized fats by ditching the traditional deep fryer.
• Lean Protein: Cooked prawns provide iodine, zinc, and quality proteins with almost no fat intake.

📝 Step-by-Step Preparation

1. Filling Preparation (Mise en place): Cut into very fine sticks (julienne) 1 medium carrot (3.5 oz / 100g), 1 cucumber (3.5 oz / 100g) without the seed core, and 1/2 slightly green mango (2.8 oz / 80g). Prepare clean leaves of butter lettuce or baby spinach and fresh mint leaves.
2. The Protein: Boil 5.3 oz (150g) of peeled prawns in salted water for 2 minutes. Cool them quickly in ice water, drain, and cut them in half lengthwise.
3. Hydrating the Paper: Fill a large shallow dish with warm water. Submerge 1 rice paper wrapper for about 10-15 seconds. Don't wait for it to be completely soft; it will finish hydrating on the cutting board.
4. Artistic Assembly: Place the hydrated wrapper on a clean kitchen towel or damp board. In the lower third, put a lettuce leaf, some carrot, cucumber, and mango. Roll up tightly halfway.
5. The Visual Touch: Place 3 prawn halves (orange side facing down) and 2 mint leaves on the unrolled part of the wrapper. Fold the sides inward and finish rolling. This way the prawn will be perfectly visible through the paper.
6. The Light Sauce: Mix 4 tsp (20ml) of soy sauce, 2 tsp (10ml) of lime juice, 1 teaspoon of sweetener, and a pinch of chili flakes for dipping.