Tomato Broth Edamame with Chewy Rice Wrapper Bites

Sometimes, we should be allowed to play with our food. I said it and I stand on business! This Tomato Broth Edamame is the ultimate “play with your food” dinner, because it’s a single serving, it makes the most out of healthy ingredients, it’s easy to whip up AND it’s fun to make. Better yet, it’s fun to eat, so it’s a win-win-win all around.

The idea from this recipe came about because I always seem to have a surplus of summer roll wrappers in my house. Don’t get me wrong, I put them to good use, but there’s always way too many to use and not enough time. And sometimes I get tired of rolls! So I wondered: what if I could use these wrappers outside of a just-rolled-up capacity? I love their texture, so couldn’t I use that chewy rice texture to my advantage?

After mulling it over for a few days, the idea of “rice wrapper bites” came to me. I could utilize the fact that these wrappers stick together easily and mold them into small, tiny, chewy bites. Pack those bites with flavor, and we were in business!

I also was obsessed with tomato broth this summer, kind of like the cousin to pan con tomate. Combine that broth with edamame and these chewy, flavorful bites and I had dinner! Well, dinner for one, and sometimes I wouldn’t want it any other way.

What are we doing with the spring roll wrappers in this tomato broth edamame?

The spring roll wrappers might seem like the afterthought here, but really they are the stars of the show! They are the fun element of this recipe, and their texture and flavor keep it interesting.

We’re essentially using the wrappers to create little dumpling “bites.” The wrappers will easily ball up into little chewy balls, but once we dip them in the soy sauce and chili oil, they may start to pull apart a bit. That’s the chili oil at work!

The best way to combat this is to immediately place them on their own little dish (see below) and leave them spaced out a bit. They will firm up nearly immediately!

Can I scale this recipe up to serve more?

Absolutely. You can simply double the ingredients to have a meal for two. If you want to bulk this up even further for a few people, you can slow-roast some salmon on the side to make this even more protein-filled and substantive.

The one element of this recipe I really recommend is the steamed rice. Even though the rice wrapper bites are technically a carb, they aren’t substantial enough (in my opinion!) to satiate me for this whole meal. But if you are looking for something more protein-forward, then maybe skipping the rice will work well for you!

And that’s it for this dinner for one!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3

Tomato Broth Edamame with Chewy Rice Wrapper Bites

5 from 1 vote

This recipe is the epitome of having FUN with summer ingredients. It takes a humble tomato and turns it into an interesting, vibrant, healthy dinner for one. The other perk? No cooking and it takes minutes. If you want a little more fun in your dinners, I love this recipe as a weeknight starter kit.

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Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:5 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese, Fusion, Vietnamese

Keyword: edamame, spring rolls, summer rolls, tomatoes

Servings: 1 serving

Equipment

• 1 box grater or rasp-style grater
• 1 sieve

Ingredients

• 1 large beefsteak tomato 255 grams
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 2 spring roll wrappers
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili crisp
• 1 cup edamame shells removed
• 1 scallion thinly sliced, optional for serving
• 1 cup steamed white rice optional for serving

Instructions

• Halve the tomato. Using a box grater or rasp-style grater, grate the tomato over a sieve into a bowl. Press the tomato “broth” into the bottom of the bowl. Discard the peels and seeds or save them for a later use (see Note).
• Grate in 1 garlic clove and 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger. Stir in 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt, taste and add more as you prefer. Set this aside.
• Dip a spring roll wrapper in water, then move it to a cutting board. Quarter the wrapper with a knife, then scrunch each quarter up into a ball. It should be sticky so you should be able to! Repeat this until you have eight little rice wrapper “balls.”
• In a small dish, mix together 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon chili crisp. Lightly dip each rice wrapper ball into the mixture. They will look glossy and red. Set them aside.
• In a bowl, add a large pile of edamame. Pour the tomato broth around it. Dot the top of the edamame with the rice wrapper bites. Garnish with scallions.
• Serve either as-is or with steamed white rice!

Notes

Note: A great use for the seeds and peel of the tomato is to chop them up and add them to 1/2 cup of your favorite mayonnaise brand. Add a few cracks of black pepper and you have a delicious tomato aioli to use throughout the week.