Pansy Spring Rolls

For Nikki Fotheringham, edible flowers are much more than just a garnish – the Ontario-based author forages and cultivates a meadow full of them for use in her creative dishes, which she shares on her site greenmoxie.com (and sometimes sells in her farm store). Her new cookbook, Taste Buds: A Field Guide to Cooking and Baking with Flowers, is a collection of recipes that feature edible flowers in unique and delicious ways – from sweet desserts to cocktails and savoury dishes, like these spring rolls. “These sweet little rolls are a healthier alternative to fried spring rolls,” Fotheringham writes. “Play around with the fresh ingredients to find the flavor combo you love best. I’ve used pansies here as they have a fresh, subtle taste, but feel free to use other flowers too. Nasturtiums will add a spicy kick, while marigolds will add a sour edge. The peanut dipping sauce is my favourite part, but you can serve them with a sweet chili sauce too.”

Pansy Spring Rolls

Nikki Fotheringham's recipe for healthy spring rolls stuffed with bright pansies and served with peanut dipping sauce.

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Course Appetizer, Hors d'oeuvres, Snack

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

Spring Rolls

• 4 green onions julienned
• 1 carrot grated
• 1 mango julienned
• ½ purple cabbage thinly sliced
• ½ cup basil leaves
• ½ cup cilantro leaves
• 8 rice-paper wrappers
• 1 cup pansies washed and dried; stems removed
• 1 8.8 oz (250 g) pkg rice noodles cooked
• 1 cup cooked shrimp optional

Dipping Sauce

• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 inch (2.5 cm) piece fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp soy sauce

Instructions

 

Spring Rolls

• Place the green onions, carrots, mango, cabbage, basil and cilantro in a medium bowl and mix to combine.
• Dip a wrapper in a pie plate filled with lukewarm water for 15 seconds and lay it on a plate carefully so it doesn’t stick to itself. Place ⅛ of the pansies in a row down the center. Add ⅛ of the rice noodles and then ⅛ of the veggies and ⅛ of the shrimp, if you’re using them. Fold up the bottom of the wrapper and stick it down on the sides. Fold down the top and stick it to the sides. Wrap the left side over the filling, then wrap the right side over the top, pressing gently to ensure it all sticks together.

Dipping Sauce

• Mix together all the ingredients in a small bowl and serve on the side.

More recipes from Nikki Fotheringham

Salted Honey Chamomile Cake

Nikki Fotheringham's recipe for a cake made with dried chamomile flowers and finished with a salted honey frosting.

Get the recipe

Excerpted from Taste Buds by Nikki Fotheringham. Copyright © 2024 Nikki Fotheringham. Photographs by Laura Berman. Published by Appetite an imprint of Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.