Summer rolls have always been on my top list of one of my favorite foods to eat. I remember having my first one many years ago in NYC at a famous Vietnamese restaurant downtown. I thought I’d gone to heaven. Such an explosion of refreshing flavors and to top it off, the ingredients are clean, healthy, and low in calories.
Ingredients
6 -8 Lg Spring roll rice wrappers
4 oz of thin cooked vermicelli rice noodles ( follow directions on package, when cooked and rinsed in cool water add in 1 tsp of toasted sesame oil to keep from sticking)
6 -8 butter lettuce cups, ribs removed ( I have also used soft collards greens w/ out ribs as well)
1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage ( use a mandoline for really fine shreds)
2 carrots peeled and jullianed ( or cut into thin matchsticks)
2 mini cucumbers sliced into long strips ( I sometimes de-seed them to lower water content)
2 scallions thinly sliced
10 mint (or basil) leaves thinly sliced or kept whole
1 Watermelon radish sliced very thin ( optional)
4 oz sliced tofu or 6-8 cooked cleaned shrimp sliced in half top to tail (optional)
Simple Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp of LOW sodium soy sauce or tamari
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 tsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp grated ginger ( optional)
1/4 tsp sriracha ( or more to taste)
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil ( optional)
1-3 tbsp water
Squeeze of lime
Instructions
Making the Sauce: Whisk in a small bowl the peanut butter, tamari, ginger, vinegar, sesame oil, maple syrup, and sriracha. While whisking, add slowly 1 tbsp at a time of water to reach your desired consistency. You also may put all the ingredients in a small blender to combine
Assembling the spring rolls : Arrange in an assembly line all your prepared fillings in small bowls ( or your Tupperwares if you have prepped before)
Fill a 9" pan or flat skillet with about 1-2 inches of warm water. Get a lint free dish towel, open it up and place it flat near the pan.
Place 1 rice paper in the pan and let sit in water for about 5-10 seconds. You will feel when it’s pliable but not too soft. Lift carefully and lie it flat on the dish towel.
Add lettuce towards the bottom of the rice paper. Leave 1 to 1½ inches of space on either side of the rice paper. Add your chopped mint, scallion and or basil. Lay across small amounts of your sliced vegetables on the lettuce. Try to not add too much because it will be harder to roll and might tear your rice paper. Add the noodles across the vegetables, and spread evenly .
Add tofu or shrimp in the middle of the rice paper. You can layer a few of the watermelon radish here as well.
Fold the left and right sides of your rice wrap towards the middle so that it's snug. Then fold the bottom up to cover the noodles. You want to keep the roll tight, so lightly squeeze it together as you roll. Continue to roll upwards to finish the spring roll.
NOTE: When you lay out your rolls don’t have them touch or they will stick together. Cling wrap will keep them seperated and also fresher. You can separate each roll by weaving the cling wrap over and under each roll. A huge time saver if you don’t need to wrap each one individually! If you are laying them out on a platter ( seperated) I dampen a thin, clean cotton dish towel and lay that over them to keep fresh and moist until serving ( within the hour)
You can also get creative and add in some mango, sprouts, and avocado.
