This recipe takes a bit of time but believe me: it’s worth it. Spring rolls look great, especially when you use a lot of colour. The combination of the oyster mushrooms and mango might sound a little crazy, but it is simply delicious. Mushrooms are prized as an ingredient that really hits all the right umami notes. And oyster mushrooms have a “meaty” taste to them, making them even better. Garnish with some extra bits of green and your simple wrap will look even more amazing.

Recipe makes 8 spring rolls
Preparation time: 40 minutes

Ingredients for the spring rolls

• 200 g oyster mushrooms, cut into strips of around 1 cm thick
• 2 tbs mild olive oil to fry the mushrooms in
• 1 mango, peeled and in strips
• 1/3 cucumber, with seeds removed and sliced into thin strips
• Fresh mint leaves
• 2 handfuls of lamb’s lettuce
• Small dish of alfalfa
• 8 sheets of rice paper
• 2 spring onions, slice in rings, for garnishing

Ingredients for the lime-soy sauce dressing

• 2 tsp sesame oil
• juice from 1 lime
• 4 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tbs sweet chili sauce
• 2 tsp agave or maple syrup

Preparation

1. Fry the oyster mushrooms in the olive oil for around 5 minutes, until they begin to colour and get a bit crispy on the ends. Remove from heat and sprinkle them with a little bit of salt.

2. Heat a pan with enough water to submerge an entire sheet of rice paper. Do not boil—it should be warm, but cool enough that you can still put your hands in it.

3. Slice the mango and cucumber into pieces of the same sizes, then pluck the fresh mint from the stem.

4. Place the rice paper in the heated water. The water should be cool enough that you can still put your hands in it. You’ll notice that the sheet immediately starts to get soft. When the paper is completely flexible, remove it from the water and lay it as nicely as possible on a clean surface.

5. Fill the rice paper: on the bottom half, place 3 mint leaves in a row. Then place some oyster mushrooms, cucumber and mango over them, and then some lamb’s lettuce and alfalfa. Roll the sheet as tightly as possible (without tearing) and fold the sides inwards to form a little present. Now that’s a perfect spring roll.

6. Prepare the lime-soy sauce dressing by mixing all the ingredients together thoroughly. Serve the spring rolls with the rings of spring onion and the dressing.