Tofu Summer Rolls with Cashew Dipping Sauce
- 1 (14-ounce) package extrafirm tofu
- ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
- 6 leaves butter lettuce
- Handful of Thai basil leaves
- 1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- 2 large carrots, grated
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
- 6 rice paper wrappers
- â…“ cup cashew butter
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha or chile-garlic sauce
Instructions:
If you don’t want to buy cashew butter for the sauce, creamy peanut butter is a fine alternative.
- Drain the tofu and wrap it in paper towels.
- Put it on a plate and weight it down with something heavy, like a heavy saucepan or a few large cans, to press out more of the moisture.
- Meanwhile, to make the dipping sauce, whisk the cashew butter, agave nectar, soy sauce, lime juice, and Sriracha together in a bowl. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is thin enough to use as a dipping sauce.
- Cut the tofu into matchsticks about 4 inches long (the width of the tofu block) and 1 inch wide. Spread the sesame seeds on a plate and gently roll the tofu matchsticks in the seeds to coat. Set aside.
- Cut out the thick stem of each lettuce leaf and cut each leaf in half. Set out an assembly line of the basil, lettuce, cucumber, carrots, mint, avocado, and tofu in small bowls. Prepare a bowl of tepid water and a slightly damp dish towel to use as a work surface. Working with one wrapper at a time, soak the rice paper wrapper in the tepid water for about thirty seconds to soften. Lay it on the dish towel. Layer 2 basil leaves in the middle third of the circle. Keeping with the lengthwise orientation, follow with a piece of lettuce, a couple of cucumber sticks, a few pinches of carrots, a pinch of the chopped mint, two slices of avocado, and a couple of the tofu matchsticks. Fold in both the top and bottom toward the center, roll the right flap over all the filling, and roll it up (like a burrito) until it sticks to the other side. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
- As each roll is done, place it under a damp paper towel until ready to serve. Slice them in half on the diagonal and serve with the cashew sauce on the side. They are best eaten immediately, but they can be stored, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to a day.