summer rolls

i may as well come out and say it: i prefer summer. as nice as spring it, with all its flowers and baby animals, it's just too boring and easy for me. summer, with its violent thunderstorms, picnics in the park, late night humidity and trips to the beach, has the turbulent ups and downs of good stories. it's summer that excites me. so, given the choice between the ubiquitous spring roll and the rare summer roll, you know what i'd pick. and you'd be wise to try it out too.


the thing about this recipe is that it's not really a recipe, per se. it's more like a general guideline that you can tweak endlessly to suit your tastes. it's easy, and although requires a good 30 mins. of dedicated labor, yields impressive results. maybe you'll get excited about summer too.


summer rolls

for filling:
chopped into similar sized matchsticks, any of the following:
cucumbers
carrots
tomatoes
avocados
radishes
scallions
asparagus(par boiled)
firm tofu
cooked shrimp (can be left whole)
cooked rice vermicelli noodles (i use this brand, follow directions on packaging)

for dipping sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce, the only brand i've ever used is mae ploy
4 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
water as needed

mix all ingredients together. use water to thin to desired consistency. you can tweak the amounts to suit your tastes.

you will also need rice paper wrappers, i usually get this brand. any asian market would have all of these items.

in order to assemble these i usually set up a little assembly line of:
1. bowl of rice noodles
2. bowl of mixed veggies + protein
3. pan of warm water
4. large plate with paper towel

you place a couple of the rice paper paper wrappers in the warm water to let them soften a bit. once they are soft, transfer one to your plate, drying it with the paper towel. place rice noodles and mixed veggies on one edge and wrap together. transfer to a large bowl and keep a moist towel on top so that they don't dry out.