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If you are on a bowl craze like me, you want to make every meal a one-stop-shop of flavor. Various ingredients come together over a bed of grains or noodles, and become their own show. Well add this one to your list: Spring Roll Bowls! Thats right! This bowl takes all of the lovely parts of a spring roll, with fresh veggies and herbs, and makes it into a full meal. Dressed with a sweet and spicy lime and garlic sauce, this bowl will be the dish of the summer.
Sweet and Spicy Sauce
The best part of a spring roll, in my opinion, is the dipping sauce! Whether it is a savory peanut sauce or a tangy acid based sauce, I’m dipping all day! For this dish, we are going with an acidic sauce that is both sweet and spicy. And the best part is, it is so simple to make! To a blender add 1/4 cup each of fish sauce and brown sugar. Also pour in 1/3 cup of lime juice and 1/2 cup of vegetable oil. Next, add in 3 tbsp each of minced garlic (about 3-4 cloves) and rice vinegar.
Finally, add in 1 1/2 tbsp of ginger and 2 tsp of sambal (chili paste) or 1 tsp of red pepper flakes. Pulse until the sauce is well blended and set aside or refrigerate. I like to serve these bowl pretty cold, so the colder the dressing, the better. Alternatively, you can add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk, just make sure the ginger and garlic are minced or grated fine.
Spring Roll Bowls
Now that you have an amazing dressing made, let’s assemble the bowls. To being, start by soaking about 10oz of rice noodles in cold water for about 30 minutes. Once they are pliable, transfer them to boiling water for 1-2 minutes to cook through. This method prevents them from sticking and becoming one giant blob. I like to drain the noodles, then immediately transfer them to a bath of ice water to cool them down. I then drain them again and transfer them to a large bowl.
While the noodles soak, we can prepare the rest of the bowls, which is mostly a lot of chopping. Start with 1/3 cup each of cilantro and basil and 1/4 cup of mint leaves and mince them all and add them to the bowl of noodles. All 3 are important for that authentic spring roll flavor!
Next, julienne a red bell pepper, and halve then slice a seedless cucumber, adding those to the bowl as well. Finally shred 1 large carrot and add about 1/2 cup of shredded carrot to the bowl. Finally, if you are using a protein, add about 2-3 cups to the bowl as well. I used shredded chicken (either buy it pre-shredded or shred a rotisserie chicken!), but you could also use pre-cooked shrimp or even tofu. I also like to throw in 3-4 tbsp of pickled or fresh jalapeños or Serrano peppers for some heat.
Finally, pour the dressing/sauce over the bowl and toss all of the ingredients together. I like to serve mine chilled, so I may pop it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes, but you can serve immediately if desired. Simply transfer portions or individual bowls, top with a few slices of avocado, 2-3 tbsp of crushed peanuts, some lime wedges for squeezing, and a fresh springs of the leftover herbs, and enjoy! These bright, tangy, spicy and sweet spring roll bowls filled with crisp veggies will be the most surprising and crave-able dish of the summer!
Want More Bowl Recipes?
- Green Goddess Chicken Bowl
- California Roll Sushi Bowl
- Crispy Baked Peanut Chicken Bowls
- Seared Ahi Tuna Bowls
- Greek Rice Bowls
- Korean BBQ Bowls
- Chipotle Shrimp Cauliflower Bowl
Spring Roll Bowl with Garlic Lime Sauce
Ingredients
Bowls
- 10 oz rice noodles
- ⅓ cup basil
- ⅓ cup cilantro
- ¼ cup mint
- 3-4 tbsp pickled sereno or jalapeno pepper
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and julienned
- 1 seedless cucumber halved lengthwise then sliced
- ½ cup shredded carrot
- 3 cups shredded chicken can use shrimp or tofu as well
- 2 medium avocados pitted and sliced
- ⅓ cup crushed peanuts for garnish
- lime wedges for garnish
Garlic Lime Dressing
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 1½ tbsp ginger minced fine or in a paste
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp sambal or 1 tbsp red chili flakes
Instructions
Bowls
- Soak the rice noodles in cold water for 30 minutes. Then transfer them to a pot of boiling water for 1-2 minutes until tender. Drain the noodles and add them to a large bowl.
- Meanwhile, julienne the peppers, halve and slice the cucumber, shred the carrots (if not shredded already), and mince all of the herbs. Add all of these to the bowl of noodles
- If not using pre shredded chicken, cook your protein of choice to your liking. Add the protein to your bowl of noodles and veggies
Garlic Lime Dressing
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender and pulse until combined. Alternatively, you can add them to a bowl and whisk or blend with an immersion blender for 1-2 minutes, just make sure the garlic is minced fine.
- Pour the dressing over the noodles, veggies and protein, and toss.
- Divide the tossed noodles into bowls and top with crushed peanuts, a few slices of avocado, and a few lime wedges, and garnish with additional herbs. Serve immediately.
