Fourth in line for our series of weekly lunch box recipes, this week Amrita Kaur of ‘Life ki Recipe’ brings us a no bake, no cook recipe that is not just healthy but also hassle-free—Vietnamese style cold spring rolls. They need no frying, no baking and involve no oil whatsoever and of course, are perfect to carry to work. Recipe for the Vietnamese style cold spring rolls:

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For the cold spring rolls filling you need…

6 rice paper wrappers (available at your local grocer or Nature’s Basket)
½ cup glass noodles
1 carrot, julienned
1 cucumber, julienned
Handful of romaine lettuce
A stalk of spring onion with the greens, thinly sliced
¼ cup julienned purple cabbage
Julienned raw mango (optional)
Handful of Thai basil leaves
Handful of coriander leaves

(More filling options) - Shitake mushrooms, cooked paneer/tofu, cooked chicken/prawns, bean sprouts.

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For the dipping sauce you need…

Pre – Heat oil in a pan, sauté garlic until golden, throw in chopped red chillis, 1 tbsp brown sugar/honey, 1 tsp red wine vinegar, the juice of half a lemon, ¼ cup soy sauce and 2 tbsp water. Simmer it for 5 to ten minutes until it thickens.

Then remove from the flame and add some basil leaves to it.

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For the glass noodles you need…

Cook the glass noodles as per package instructions; some require only soaking in hot water for ten to fifteen minutes and some might need to be boiled. Drain and set aside. Make sure it’s cooked al dente.

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To make the roll…

Keep all your veggies ready in different bowls. Dip the rice paper in warm water for few seconds, take out immediately and lay out on a wooden board/plastic chopping board. Do not let it sit for long. Get on to assembling it quickly.

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Assembling the spring roll…

Place lettuce leaf at the bottom and top it with glass noodles and rest of the veggies—cucumber, carrots, spring onion greens, herbs etc. at one end of the rice paper. Roll up firmly while tucking the veggies in. Arrange the rolls on a serving plate. You could also cut them diagonally in half to expose the fillings. Serve it with garlic dipping sauce.

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Expert Tip

Fold in the spring roll and slice to serve. When consuming them a day later, you can wrap them well in plastic wrap and refrigerate. For the dipping sauce, make sure it is served at room temp/chilled. So prepare it before you get started on the rolls.