Snacking regulates your blood sugar, increases your metabolism and let’s you burn fat more effectively – especially great if you have some weight to lose.
When I was losing weight, my snacks revolves around almonds, Greek yogurt and at times, hardboiled eggs. Boring? You bet. Which is why this week I’d love to introduce you to a super refreshing, delicious and nutritious Asian snack, Vietnamese prawn rolls (aka g?i cu?n) that is quick to make and can last for days in the fridge.
I also made my classic peanut sauce, which was featured in one of my soba noodles recipe, as a dipping sauce. Say goodbye to boring protein shakes and hello to an Asian piece of variety!
Snack Prep: Fresh Vietnamese Prawn Rolls with Healthy Peanut Sauce
Serves – 8
Time needed – 20 mins
Cost – Approximately $1.30 per serve
Here’s what you need:
- 16 butterhead lettuce leaves
- 1 cup of beansprouts
- 80g of vermicelli, boiled and drained
- 16 rice paper rolls
- 12 medium sized cooked prawns, cut in half
- Liquid aminos
For the peanut sauce
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 2 tbsp liquid aminos
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp chopped garlic
Here’s how you do it:
- Begin by getting your tabletop ready with two plates and all the ingredients right in front of you. The key to hydrating the rice paper rolls is to be efficient and fast so make sure you have your workspace ready!
- Pour in warm water on one plate, you’ll be soaking the rice paper in this for about 5-10 seconds. Once it’s slightly hydrated, place it in the middle of a clean plate. Repeat with another piece of rice paper and place the second hydrated paper on the first. Let it stick together.
- Place two lettuce leaves on the rice paper and about a handful of beansprouts and vermicelli on the leaves. Turn the lettuce leaves over, tucking the beansprouts and vermicelli under the leaves.
- Line three half prawns just on top of the leaves.
- Fold the roll, according to the video instruction. Set aside and repeat till all ingredients are used.
- Next, prepare the peanut sauce by mixing all the ingredients and whisking it well in a bowl.
- Serve immediately, or store it in a fridge. If planning to have them once a day, separate it into different ziploc bags and grab it from the fridge on the day you’re consuming them!
How much this costs:
*Keep in mind that this numbers are a rough guide. It depends on where you buy it and when. At the end of the day it’s possible to eat healthy without breaking the bank. Also, ~ denotes the items that should already be in your pantry for a long time or it’s a very small amount. I’ve also added about $0.50 to the final number to account for those ~ items.
For the rolls
- 16 butterhead lettuce leaves $0.60
- 1 cup of beansprouts $0.20
- 80g of vermicelli, boiled and drained $0.60
- 16 rice paper rolls $1.10
- 12 medium sized cooked prawns, cut in half $4.30
- Liquid aminos $0.40
For the peanut sauce
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter $1.50
- 2 tbsp liquid aminos $0.40
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar $0.80
- 3 tbsp water ~
- 2 tbsp honey $0.26
- 2 tsp chopped garlic ~
Total price = ~ $10.65
Price per serve (without rice) = ~ $1.30
How much calories and macros:
*without the peanut sauce
Calories: 135, Protein: 11.5g, Carbohydrates: 19.2g, Fats: 1.1g
