Strawberry Spring Roll Salad

Note from Cheri: This recipe by Roxanne E. Chan of Albany, California was a finalist in the 1997 California Strawberry Festival's Berry Off cooking contest. Follow this link for more information on the festival and more great strawberry recipes! This is a lovely salad with lots of great flavor and textures. It makes an elegant addition to a dinner based on Asian cuisine.

Salad 1 cup diced strawberries 1 cup cooked arborio rice, at room temperature 1 green onion, minced 1/3 cup diced water chestnuts (get them in an Asian grocery store or in the Asian foods section of any supermarket) 1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger (get it in gourmet stores or any well stocked grocery store) 1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts 8 - 8" in diameter rice paper rounds (again, Asian grocery store) 2 cups shredded Chinese (also known as Napa) cabbage (use a large grater) 1 cup torn watercress leaves 1 cup shredded cabbage Dressing 2 T canola oil 1 T sesame oil 3 T rice vinegar 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed 1 tsp. soy sauce 1 tsp. strawberry preserves 1/2 tsp. grated ginger root 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper black sesame seeds for garnish

Serves 4 Combine strawberries and next 5 ingredients until well mixed. Fill a large bowl with hot water. Set aside. Place 1 rice paper round in the water until softened, about 30 seconds. Remove rice paper from the water and place on a towel. Pat dry. Repeat with the rest of the rice paper. Divide the strawberry filling among the rice paper rounds, placing it in the center of each round. Fold in the sides and roll up each round tightly. Combine the cabbages and watercress and place on a platter. Cut each strawberry roll in half (cut on an diagonal looks prettier). Whisk together dressing ingredients until well blended. Toss the greens with 1/2 the dressing. Arrange the cut strawberry rolls on the greens and drizzle with the rest of the dressing. Garnish with black sesame seeds and fresh strawberries.