Sarah's spring rollsDiehard "American Idol" viewers will remember Sarah Sellers as the geek-chic food blogger who made it to Hollywood Week last year. (Watch her Season 10 audition here.) Sarah has since continued her food-blogging, and has been cooking up scrumptious snack suggestions for any "Idol" viewing party and posting them here exclusively in Reality Rocks. And she's back this season to get your mouth watering every Wednesday and Thursday night.
For tonight's "Idol" episode in Portland, Oregon, Sarah is cooking up spring rolls. It may seem like an odd choice for Portland (why not "Portlandia"-inspired local chicken?), but Sarah explains: "I decided on the spring rolls because when I was in Portland a few months ago I had the most amazing Asian cuisine. Portland's cuisine is very diverse, but the Asian food was definitely the best!"
Well, I trust this foodie's expert opinion...so spring rolls it is! Enjoy.
Shrimp Spring Rolls
Ingredients
▪ 8 spring roll wrappers
▪ 4 pieces bib lettuce, cut in half to make 8 small pieces
▪ 8 pieces of shrimp, cooked (or you can use your favorite protein)
▪ 1 cup rice noodles, cooked
▪ 1/2 cucumber, skin removed and cut into matchsticks
▪ 1/2 cup shredded carrots
▪ 1 cup cilantro
▪ 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
▪ 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
▪ 1 tsp sriracha
▪ hot water to thin out sauce
▪ 1 tbsp peanuts, chopped
Working very quickly dip the spring roll wrappers in piping hot water until soaked, let the access water drip off. Place the wrappers on a flat surface and layer with the bib lettuce first, followed by the shrimp (or protein of your choice), rice noodles, cucumber, carrots, and the cilantro. Fold the bottom flap up first, then proceed with the two sides and roll up.
**Less is more. Just put a little bit of each ingredient in the wrappers. You don't want to overload them. If you let the water get cold the wrappers will become tough, so work quickly!
To make the sauce, combine the peanut butter, hoisin, and sriracha in a small bowl. Mix until well-combined. Slowly add the hot water until you reach a thin, smooth consistency. Top with the chopped peanuts.
Bon appetit!
Check out Sarah's food and music blogs at http://sarahsmusicalkitchen.com
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