Soft Asian Summer Rolls With Sweet And Savory Dipping Sauce Recipes

SUMMER ROLLS WITH SWEET CHILI DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the cellophane noodles, vegetables, cilantro and peanuts in a large bowl; toss with sesame oil and lime juice to give the filling some flavor; season with salt and pepper.
• Pour 3 cups of hot, not boiling water in a large shallow bowl. One at a time, immerse the rice paper wrappers in the hot water for 10 seconds to soften, then place on a slightly damp towel. The rice paper is very delicate, don't soak them any longer or they will break apart. Keep them covered while you work to prevent them from drying out and curling.
• To form the rolls, lay a rice paper wrapper on a flat surface. Grab a small amount of the cellophane and vegetable mixture and lay it across the bottom third. Use less filling than you think you should, if you overstuff the wrapper it will tear. Carefully fold the bottom of the wrapper up to cover the filling. Fold in the left and right sides, then tuck and roll it over once. Lay 2 mint leaves on top, then tuck and roll it over to close the whole thing up like a tight cigar. The mint leaves should show through the transparent rice paper. Arrange the finished rolls on a platter and cover with a damp towel.
• Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce:
• In a blender, puree the rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, hot water, sugar, lime juice, garlic, and chili paste until combined. Pour into a small bowl and serve with the summer rolls.
• Yield: 1 cup

SUMMER ROLLS WITH BAKED TOFU AND SWEET-AND-SAVORY DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Soak noodles in a medium bowl of boiling-hot water 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, blanch carrot in boiling water until softened, about 45 seconds. Drain. Rinse under cold water to stop cooking, then transfer to a small bowl along with cucumber, jalapeño, vinegar, sugar, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let stand 5 minutes. Reserve 2 tablespoons liquid and drain pickled vegetables.
• Drain noodles and rinse under cold water, then drain and pat dry. Toss noodles with remaining 3/4 teaspoon lime juice and snip with kitchen shears 5 or 6 times.
• Fill a shallow pan or pie plate with warm water. Soak 2 rice-paper rounds until they begin to soften, about 30 seconds, then let excess water drip off and stack soaked rounds on a work surface so that they overlap by all but 1 inch on either side. Put 2 pieces of romaine on bottom third of round. Top with one eighth of noodles (about 2 tablespoons), tofu (4 sticks), bean sprouts (about 2 tablespoons), herbs (3 tablespoons), and pickled vegetables (3 tablespoons). Roll up tightly around filling, folding in sides. Make 7 more rolls in same manner.
• Stir together hoisin sauce, peanut butter, water, and reserved 2 tablespoons pickling liquid. Serve rolls with dipping sauce.

SHRIMP SUMMER ROLLS WITH NUOC CHAM

Steps:

• Prepare the rice vermicelli according to the package directions. Drain well and set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and cold water. Boil the shrimp until bright pink, opaque and just cooked, about 1 1/2 minutes. Drain and transfer to the ice bath. Once cool, slice each shrimp in half lengthwise, pat dry and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Make the nuoc cham by whisking together the lime juice, 1/4 cup water, sugar, fish sauce, garlic and chile in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• To assemble the summer rolls, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill a large skillet with cold water.
• Working one a time, soak a rice paper wrapper in the skillet until just pliable, 5 to 7 seconds. Transfer the wrapper to a clean cutting board. Line up 3 shrimp halves, pink-side down, in the bottom third of the wrapper. Layer with some scallions, carrots, cucumbers, mint, cilantro and basil. Top with a scant 1/4 cup vermicelli and sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of the peanuts. Fold in the sides of the wrapper, then roll it up like a burrito. Place it on the prepared baking sheet seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling ingredients, making sure the rolls are not touching on the baking sheet.
• Cover the finished summer rolls with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Store any remaining vermicelli in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Serve the summer rolls with the nuoc cham on the side for dipping.