Amanda and Penny Chan of Abeego contributed this recipe to our second Community Cookbook last summer. They admit, while the name says summer roll, these are refreshing bites all year round, and I couldn't agree more. Their mom taught them her take on how to make these growing up for family gatherings. They're perfect to use up any veggies in your fridge. This recipe is simply a guideline. Craft any flavour you're feeling with your favourite dipping sauce.
Ingredients:
Summer Rolls:
3 oz. rice vermicelli noodles
8 rice paper sheets
1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
1 large carrot, julienned
1 cucumber, julienned
4 large cooked prawns. Peeled, deveined & cut in half lengthwise.
Herbs like chives, basil, mint or cilantro
Toasted sesame seeds to garnish
Dipping Sauce:
Explore what's in your fridge like Hoisin or pick up Nuoc Cham or Peanut Sauce from your local market.
Makes 8 rolls
Serving size: up to 2 rolls per person for a starter. 3-4 rolls make it a meal depending on final size of the rolls.
Recipe:
- Set up your Mise en Place. Basically, get everything chopped, cooked, and prepared for quick & easy assembly.
- Cook rice noodles by boiling for 5 minutes or until just tender, drain. I’ve found some rice noodles you can simply soak in warm water and some require boiling.
- Let’s assemble. Fill a bowl big with warm water. Make sure your rice paper sheet will fit. Place the sheet of rice paper in the water until soft. Carefully lift out of the water and place it on a wet tea towel on top of your cutting board or assembly surface. The wet tea towel will allow you to assemble without the rice paper sticking. Pro tip: Abeego wraps works wonderfully for an assembly surface, no need for a wet tea towel.
- It’s time for fillings! I like to place and stack my fillings in this order: rice noodles, bean sprouts, cucumber, carrots, herbs, 2 shrimp halves. Place in the center of the sheet horizontally. Follow your palate & senses - add more or less fillings that add flavour, spice, or crunch.
- Let’s roll. Wrap it up like a burrito. Fold the sides over, then pull the side closest to you over the fillings, and tuck and roll. The rice paper sheet will stick to itself keeping all the fillings enclosed. Repeat with the remaining rice sheets.
- Make it saucy. Peanut sauce or Nuoc Cham are perfect. These can be purchased from your local market or try your hand at mixing one together. Sometimes a bit of hoisin is all you need.
- Garnish summer rolls with sesame seeds & any leftover herbs.
- This is more of a guideline than a recipe. Choose ingredients that you like, follow your senses, and get creative. Enjoy!
