This week, Chef Ruthie teaches us how to make the perfect warm-weather dish: Vietnamese summer rolls with homemade peanut sauce.
Recipe
Ingredients
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
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
Assembly:
- 1 package large rice paper (you will need 8)
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 place 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.
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