Today I’m sharing my recipe at one of my favorite blogs. Biren of Roti n Rice makes the most amazing Asian dishes from appetizers, soups, drinks, noodles, main course, to desserts, and she even has a collection of delicious Japanese recipes!
Biren grew up in Malaysia and she now lives in Minnesota with her husband and 2 teenage boys. I always envy Biren’s family because – you know why – she is an amazing mom and cook! If you haven’t met Biren yet, please go visit her by clicking her banner below. I’m sure after visiting her site you will wish she’s your neighbor.
You can follow her website Roti n Rice through her facebook fan page and twitter. I’ve been following Biren’s blog for several months now and she’s been virtually feeding me great food. I hope you will be closely following her with me!
So, as you probably guessed, when she asked me to be her guest blogger, I really didn’t know what to share on her website. Well, after thinking for a while, I decided to share a Southeast Asian dish with a Japanese twist. This is one of my husband and my favorite dish, pork spring rolls and I hope everyone will enjoys this recipe with family and friends.
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Spring Rolls with Sesame Ponzu Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the Filling Choices
- ½ lb sliced pork belly (or any protein of your choice)
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 inch daikon radish
- 1 stalk celery
- ½ English cucumber (today I skipped)
- ½ carrot
- ½ red leaf lettuce
- 10 shiso leaves (perilla/ooba)
- 2 soft or hard-boiled egg
- Shiraga Negi (julienned long green onions) (optional)
- cilantro (coriander) (optional)
For the Dipping Sauce
- 1 green onion/scallion
- 1 knob ginger (½ inch, 1.3 cm)
- 1 ½ inch daikon radish
- 6 Tbsp Ponzu
- 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
Instructions
To Prepare the Fillings
- Cut the sliced pork belly into 1.5-2 inch pieces and season with salt.
- In a large frying pan, heat oil on high heat. When oil is hot, add the meat and cook until crispy. Use a paper towel to absorb excess oil and transfer it to a serving plate.
- Cut daikon, celery, cucumber, and carrot into thin strips. Place all the fillings (lettuce, shiso leaves, boiled eggs, shiraga negi, and cilantro) on a serving plate.
To Make Dipping Sauce
- Cut green onion into small pieces. Grate ginger and daikon and squeeze the water out (we only use grated ginger and daikon). Combine all the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl and mix well.
To Make Spring Rolls
- In a large bowl, pour hot water. Holding the rice paper by the edge, rotate it in hot water 3 times (like a spinning wheel) and put it on a plate. The rice paper will be soft from the hot water. Put the toppings in this order: one piece of red leaf lettuce, one shiso, a few pieces of pork belly, veggies, the egg, and then lastly pour a bit of the sauce on top.
- Start wrapping all the toppings with the bottom center. Then fold the sides and continue rolling the rice paper. The edge will stick together naturally.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container or covered in plastic and store in the refrigerator for a day. The rice paper gets hard, so I highly recommend to eat it on the same day.
[…] Pork Spring Rolls with Ponzu […]
I always had trouble trying to wrap the rice paper. I try again following your tip. Thank you!
Hi Midori! I hope you can get it right next time. Sometimes it can be rice paper too… I highly recommend The Three Ladies brand. It’s very easy to work with. 🙂
Just discovered your blog! I love how you make Japanese dishes sound so approachable… I always thought it would be difficult to make. Definitely going to the store tomorrow to pick up some essentials for Japanese cooking!
Hi Sarah! Thank you so much. I’m glad my step-by-step pictures are convincing enough for you to see it’s not that hard (well some it is more time-consuming than others but mostly pretty easy). I hope you enjoy cooking & eating Japanese food! Check my Pantry page for reference. It’s not a perfect page, but I put some ingredients/condiments that I use. 🙂