Description
Vietnamese Summer Rolls are fresh, light, and packed with vibrant flavors and textures. These rolls feature soft rice paper wrappers filled with vermicelli noodles, crisp vegetables, flavorful herbs, and cooked shrimp, served with a creamy, spicy peanut hoisin dipping sauce. This recipe is perfect as an appetizer or a healthy snack and offers a delightful balance of sweet, savory, and spicy notes.
Ingredients
Dipping Sauce
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter (recommended: Skippy)
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon sriracha (double for a spicier sauce)
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Roll Filling
- 3 ounces dried vermicelli rice noodles
- 1½ cups store-bought shredded/matchstick carrots
- 1 cup julienned seeded English cucumber, from 1 small cucumber
- 3 scallions, light and dark green parts, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 12 (8½-inch) rice paper wrappers
- 12 bibb or butter lettuce leaves (from 1 to 2 heads; remove any hard ribs)
- 24 medium-sized cooked shrimp, halved lengthwise
- 1 cup loosely packed small mint leaves (if large, roughly chop them)
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Prepare Peanut Dipping Sauce: In a blender, combine the peanut butter, hoisin sauce, water, sriracha, rice wine vinegar, garlic, and salt. Purée until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and set aside for dipping.
- Cook Vermicelli Noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the dried vermicelli rice noodles and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain the noodles, rinse them under cold water to cool, and drain again. Spread them on a large plate and set aside to dry.
- Prepare Vegetable Mixture: In a medium bowl, combine the shredded carrots, julienned cucumber, sliced scallions, rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, and sugar. Toss thoroughly to evenly distribute the flavors.
- Soften Rice Paper Wrappers: Fill a pie plate or large shallow dish with room-temperature water. Immerse one rice paper wrapper for 5 to 10 seconds until slightly softened. Remove carefully with both hands and lay flat on a clean surface.
- Assemble Rolls: On each softened wrapper, place 3 cilantro leaves and 3 mint leaves slightly left of center. Arrange 4 shrimp halves, cut side up, in a row over the herbs. Hold a bibb or butter lettuce leaf in your hand and fill it with approximately ¼ cup of the carrot and cucumber mixture and ¼ cup of the cooked noodles. Place this lettuce and filling to the right of the shrimp on the wrapper.
- Roll Up the Summer Rolls: Lift the edge of the rice paper closest to the filling and roll it snugly over the lettuce, carrots, and noodles, ensuring the filling is tightly encased. Continue rolling toward the shrimp and herbs, folding in the sides of the wrapper toward the center to seal the roll completely. Place the finished roll seam side down on a baking sheet, leaving space between rolls to prevent sticking. Cover with a damp towel. Repeat this process for the remaining wrappers and ingredients, replenishing the soaking water as needed.
- Serve: Optional: Cut each summer roll in half crosswise before serving. Serve rolls with the peanut hoisin dipping sauce prepared earlier.
- Optional Shrimp Cooking: If cooking shrimp yourself, start with shell-on shrimp. Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and cold water and set it near the stove. Bring a large pot of water to boil, add the shrimp, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until bright pink (the water does not need to return to a boil). Drain shrimp and immediately transfer to the ice bath to stop cooking. Let chill for 15 minutes, then peel and halve shrimp lengthwise for use in rolls.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: Summer rolls can be prepared a few hours in advance. After rolling, cover the baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap, keep the damp towel underneath, and refrigerate. Before serving, let rolls sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes to remove chill.
- Serving Suggestion: Each serving includes 2 summer rolls and approximately 3 tablespoons of peanut hoisin sauce.
Notes
- For a spicier dipping sauce, increase the sriracha to 2 tablespoons.
- Use cooked shrimp for convenience, or cook fresh shrimp using the method described in the instructions.
- Remove hard ribs from lettuce leaves to ensure easy rolling and pleasant texture.
- Keep the rice paper wrappers covered with a damp towel while assembling to prevent drying out.
- Summer rolls are best consumed the same day but can be stored refrigerated for a few hours as noted in the make-ahead instructions.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
