Potato Onion Spring Rolls

Early TED

I enjoyed browsing through the Asian market last week, searching the shelves for something I could eat on the TED! I'm sure the employees were shaking their heads as my odd questions, and most likely thinking "Crazy white woman!". I found these rice wraps that I have used before, so grabbed some. I asked if they could only be served fresh (uncooked) or if I could fry them. I was adamantly told that they could NOT be fried, but I did attempt some and the results weren't too bad.

3 large potatoes, pierced and microwaved until soft. Refrigerate or freeze until cooled, then peel and finely chop.
1/2 an onion, finely diced
1 handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
salt, garlic and onion powder to taste

Saute the onion until soft and mostly clear, then add in the peeled potatoes that have been finely chopped. Saute until the potatoes take on some color, season to taste and then add in the freshly chopped cilantro.
To assemble wraps:

Pour some warm water onto a plate, and then lay a single rice wrap on the plate. The wraps are round, dry and hard. Placing in the water rehydrates them and they become very soft, clear and flexible. Just keep turning them in the water, flipping over occasionally until completely soft all over. Carefully lift up and allow excess water to drip off. Lay on a cutting board, plate or on the counter and smooth edges out into a circle. Place 2 Tbsp. of filling on the bottom 1/3 of the circle. Fold the bottom of the wrap up over the filling, and then squeeze back towards you just a bit to make a firm, solid roll. Fold the right and the left sides over the filling by about an inch to seal it in, then roll from the bottom up towards the top of the empty wrap. It should look like a long rectangle laying vertically with a rounded top prior to it being rolled. I should have taken pictures! It sounds complicated, but it's truly very easy. The wrap will be slightly tacky, and will stick to itself and seal.

If you would like to fry, heat about 1/4 of an inch of oil in a small pan, and crisp on all sides. If I had a fry daddy I would have used that to really get them cooked. Make sure you use a high temp as they will soak up oil. Drain well. They were fantastic fresh, which was what my hubby preferred. I served with a sweet chili sauce, which tested Noah's limits a bit. I might try to do a mixture of ketchup and chili sauce next time so it's milder, but I still get the sensation of having a dip! The two closest in the picture were fried, and the far one is fresh.

The sauce we used was called sweet chili chicken sauce, and is at the Asian market. The sauce and the wrap both run around $1.50 - $1.90, pretty cheap!