Vietnamese Summer Rolls with 2 dipping sauces (V)
These light, fresh, crispy summer rolls are packed full of colourful tasty vegetables and are ideal for a quick lunch on a summer’s day. This recipe is vegetarian but can be suitable for vegans. You can use substitute ingredients for the dipping sauces that are suitable for a vegan diet.
With crispy raw vegetables and fresh herbs, wrapped in rice paper, you can mix and match with whatever you have available in the fridge. You can also add shredded meat, fish (prawns and or salmon are tasty) or smoked tofu to the vegetables, to make the filling spread even further. I’ve added vermicelli noodles and peanuts to this recipe. These give a varied balance of textures and flavours to the finished roll. These rolls are simple to create with no cooking involved! Not only are they so delicious but they are an extremely healthy lunch alternative. They are also ideal as a sharing platter and picnic lunch in the garden. Serve with the dipping sauces, a glass of cold beer or chilled Rosé.
Enjoy
N x
Recipe
Ingredients
Serves 4: 12 in total | 3 summer rolls per person \ Prep: 20 minutes
12 rice paper circles
1 large carrot, washed (julienned) thinly sliced
Half of cucumber, washed, thinly sliced
Half red pepper, washed and thinly sliced
Half yellow pepper, washed and thinly sliced
4/5 fresh radish, washed and thinly sliced
2 spring onions, washed thinly sliced, greens reserved for garnish
12 lettuce leaves, baby gem, baby red leaves or baby spinach
Handful of unsalted peanuts, finely chopped
Handful of fresh mint and coriander leaves finely chopped
25g or 1 nest of vermicelli noodles.
Peanut Dipping Sauce
2 tbsps soft peanut butter
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice and zest of half a lime
6/8 tbsps of coconut milk
1 tbsp of Hoisin sauce
1/2 tsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp chilli sauce
Sprinkle of unsalted peanuts to garnish
Ground black pepper to season
Whizz all the ingredients (except the garnish) in a blender or mix by hand, until the sugar has dissolved. Chill in the fridge until ready to use. Add drops of water to get the consistency you prefer. Serve in a bowl with peanuts to garnish.
Hoisin Dipping Sauce
Small thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
8 tbsps Hoisin sauce
1 tsp soft brown sugar
6/8 tbsps of cold water (add for the consistency you prefer)
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
handful of spring onion greens for garnish
Whizz all the ingredients (except the garnish) in the blender or mix by hand, until the sugar has dissolved. Chill in a bowl in the fridge until ready to use. To serve, add the spring onion garnish
Method
Cook the vermicelli nest in a pan of boiling water for 3/4 minutes. Remove from the heat, rinse in cold water and pop to one side to cool.
Make the dipping sauces (see above) and chill in the fridge while you get on with the filling.
Blanch the rice papers in warm water one at a time, to avoid them sticking together, until soft.
Meanwhile julienne all the vegetables and have in piles on your prep board or in a bowl, along with the noodles, herbs and nuts.
See video on Instagram here.
On a board lay out a rice paper flat, add a lettuce leaf in the middle towards the top of the paper, then top with, a few noodles, one or two sliced peppers, radish, cucumber, carrot, coriander and mint leaves and a sprinkle of peanuts.
Fold in either side of the rice paper to meet in the middle and tightly roll from the top to create a tight little spring roll. The rice paper will act like a glue to encase all the filling, creating a snug little roll.
Continue with the rest of the rice papers and filling to make 12, depending on what you’re adding to the summer roll, your filling may go further so you’ll require more rice papers.
Serve straight away, with both dipping sauces, a cold glass of beer or a glass of chilled Rosé,
Enjoy
N X
