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Anytime I order summer rolls at an Asian restaurant, I usually don’t get enough. In all honesty, I can eat four of these without sharing! I will bet you can, too, haha. With Spring and warmer weather afoot, this recipe for Crunchy Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce is a great meal to cool yourself off.
Where to buy rice paper
I had the privilege of demonstrating this recipe via a short video for Panhandle PBS and their Savor The Goods At Home series. I am so excited to share it with you, so please follow them on Facebook, and you will get a notification once it is ready to share.
Something I failed to mention in the video is where to buy the rice paper! You can find a smaller version of what I used in the international foods aisle at the grocery store. However, anytime I need Asian ingredients, I visit our city’s local Asian grocery market. I always find everything I need! The rice paper choices are more excellent, ranging from size to various types. You can read more about them here!
Preparing the crunchy summer rolls
The very first time I made these, it was a disaster! It took forever, ingredients were slung everywhere, and the rolls were not very pretty. I’m here to tell you, there is a way to get around all of this. There are several things I did wrong from the get-go and I will share what and what NOT to do.
- DO make sure you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready for assembly. In other words, you don’t want to have a wet rice paper waiting for you to shave the carrots. It will dry and you will end up throwing it in the trash. Have your mise en place ready to go! Your execution goes by a lot easier when you are prepared!
- DON’T let the time it takes to prepare these turn you off from making them again. The more you make them, the easier it will become! You’ll be a pro in no time!
- DO keep them covered with a wrung-out wet paper towel as you prepare the rest of the rolls. This will prevent them from drying out before they are ready to eat. If they do dry out a little, you can run them under water very quickly, and that usually hydrates them perfectly.
I know you will love these crunchy summer rolls with peanut sauce, but once you become a wiz at making them, you can try other variations. You can find a Winter variation here that I shared in 2018. The point I’m making is, you can eat them any time of the year. Trust me; you will want to!
Happy rolling!
Ruthie
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Crunchy Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce
This is such a cool and satisfying meal on a hot day! I usually make two per person, so you may need to double the recipe if needed. I did not add prep or cook time as everyone works at different paces. Pick an afternoon in which you want to make these and have a good time!
Ingredients
For the summer roll filling
1/2 package rice vermicelli
2 carrots, shaved into ribbons, using a potato peeler
1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
1 head of green leaf lettuce, roughly chopped
1 large cucumber, seeds removed, sliced into long strips
1/2 cup crushed peanuts
fresh cilantro
fresh mint
For Peanut Sauce
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp chili garlic paste
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 lime (for juice)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- sesame seeds for garnish
For assembly
- 1 package large rice paper, this recipe uses 8 papers
Instructions
Bring water to a boil over high heat in a medium pot. Add about half of the package of vermicelli and cook 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat. Drain and set aside. *When ready to assemble rolls, you may need to rinse vermicelli with water to loosen it up again.
While vermicelli is cooking, set carrot ribbons, cabbage, lettuce, cucumbers, and peanuts onto a large plate and set aside.
For The Peanut Dipping Sauce
To make the dipping sauce, combine peanut butter and the next five ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. Stir until smooth. To thin, add more water. To thicken, add more peanut butter. Pour into a serving bowl, sprinkle with sesame seeds and set aside.
Assembling The Rolls
One at a time, wet rice paper under running warm water. Once it starts to soften, place the rice paper flat on a large cutting board. Layer cabbage, carrot ribbons, vermicelli noodles, cucumber strips, cilantro, mint and sprinkle with peanuts onto the rice paper horizontally, which will make it easier to roll. Like a burrito, fold each side of the paper over the filling. Then, fold the bottom of the paper over the filling. With your hands, hold the “burrito” shape and carefully pull towards you to tighten, then begin rolling away from you until the top of paper has folded completely around the roll. Repeat with seven more rice papers. Set the rolls on parchment paper and cover with a wet paper towel until ready to serve along with dipping sauce. To serve, slice each roll in half and arrange them onto a pretty platter with the sauce bowl in the center.
- Category: main dish, appetizer, lunch
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
