Ground Pork Salad Rolls

Fresh, flavourful, and fun to make, these Ground Pork Salad Rolls are a delicious twist on a classic Vietnamese-style favourite. Packed with juicy Alberta ground pork tossed in peanut sauce, crisp veggies, and soft vermicelli, each roll is a handheld bite of balance. Perfect as a light meal, party appetizer, or lunchbox upgrade — just don’t forget the dipping sauces! They’re as satisfying to eat as they are to assemble.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground pork
• ½ cup peanut sauce
• ½ package rice vermicelli
• 8 rice wrappers (6.5 inch diameter)
• 2 carrots grated
• 2 cups shredded lettuce or purple cabbage
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro or basil
• Hoisin, peanut, sweet chili and/or fish sauce, for dipping

Preparation

1. In a medium skillet, pan-fry ground pork until thoroughly cooked. Drain excess fat. Add peanut sauce, stir, and let cool.
2. Place rice vermicelli in a bowl of boiling water and soak 3 to 5 minutes, until soft. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
3. Fill a shallow pan with hot water. Dip one rice wrapper in hot water for 5 seconds, or until rice wrapper starts becoming flexible. (Don’t worry if the wrapper isn’t completely soft – it gets softer as you roll it.) Remove and lay wrapper flat on a cutting board or plate.
4. Add the desired amount of vermicelli noodles, pork, vegetables and herbs in a strip just a bit lower than the centre of the wrapper. Fold the bottom edge of the wrapper tightly over the ingredients, then fold in the sides of the wrapper. Then, tightly roll the ingredients from the bottom up.
5. Repeat steps 3-5 with the remaining ingredients. Serve with your favourite dipping sauce.