Summer Dipping Sauce Recipes

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

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees, put garlic cloves in a small baking dish and add enough olive oil to cover. Roast until garlic is soft and golden, about 30 minutes. Cool.
• Drain garlic, reserving oil. Transfer to a food processor, add 1 tablespoon reserved oil and the mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper and purée. Transfer to a bowl and stir in chives. Use remaining oil for another purpose.
• Combine flour, Cheddar, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, gently whisk eggs with beer. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and stir until combined. Stir in zucchini, yellow squash and onion.
• Heat canola oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Drop about 1 tablespoon of batter into the oil per fritter and fry 6 fritters at a time until golden-brown, 2 to 3 minutes a side. Remove to paper towels to drain. Serve hot, with the sauce on the side.

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil and cook rice noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse and cool (makes about 2 cups).
• Line up ingredients in small bowls before beginning to make rolls. Fill a large bowl or saucepan with very warm water. Place a rice paper round in the hot water. Soak for between 30 seconds and 1 minute, or until rice round is pliable and pattern on the round is barely visible. Remove and place on a clean, slightly damp kitchen towel.
• Place 2 basil leaves on the inner edge of the rice round, about 1-inch from the edge and leaving about 1-inch on each side. Top with approximately 1/4 cup cooked rice noodles. Place 2 shrimp halves on top. Top with about 2 tablespoons carrots, then 2 leaves of mint. Fold 1 piece of lettuce leaf and place on top of pile. Bring the edge over filling and tuck underneath. As you continue to roll, fold in the sides. Finish rolling, repeat with the other rolls, and reserve under a damp cloth or paper towel. When ready to serve, slice in half and serve, cut ends up, with dipping sauce.
• Dissolve sugar in warm water, combine with other ingredients, and chill until ready to use.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl combine the julienned carrot, cucumber, bean sprouts, scallions, water chestnuts, ginger, cilantro, soy sauce and fish sauce. Mix well. Take a rice sheet and dip in warm water. Place it on a clean surface and leave it for a few seconds to soften. Place a spoonful of the mixture in the center of the sheet and fold into a square packet as if you were making a burrito. Repeat with the rest of the rice sheets and mixture.;
• In a small bowl whisk sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, scallions and cilantro and serve with summer rolls.;

Steps:

• Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Lay them out on a baking sheet in an even layer. Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut them into 4-inch lengths. Set aside.
• Use a mandoline slicer to shave the orange, red and yellow bell peppers into long, paper-thin slices. Then shave the beets, carrot and cucumber into paper-thin rounds. Set aside.
• Whisk together the peanut butter, hoisin sauce, chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, lime juice and 1/4 cup of warm water in a small bowl until well combined. Season to taste with salt.
• Toss together the chicken, cilantro, mint, scallion and 2 tablespoons of the peanut sauce in a large bowl until well coated.
• Set up your rolling station with a damp cutting board, a medium bowl filled with water and a serving platter. Place the orange, red and yellow bell peppers, beets, carrots, cucumber, rice noodles, chicken-herb mixture and rice paper wrappers nearby.
• Take 1 rice paper wrapper and wet it with some water until just slightly softened. Lay it on the cutting board and make sure it is completely flat. Arrange 3 mint leaves about 1/4-inch from one another, in the middle of the wrapper (the tips of each mint leaf should be pointing up and away from you). Take 3 slices of yellow bell pepper and lay them over the first mint leaf. Take 3 slices of red bell pepper and lay them over the second mint leaf. Take 3 slices of orange bell pepper and lay them over the third mint leaf. Lay 6 slices of beet, slightly shingled, over the bell pepper layer. There should be about a 1-inch of space above and below the beet edge where the bell peppers peak out slightly. Shingle 6 slices of cucumbers right above the beets and over the pepper ends. Shingle 6 slices of carrots right below the beets and over the pepper ends. Take a bunch of the cut rice noodles, about the same diameter of a silver dollar, and put them on top of the candy cane beet layer, being mindful of keeping them in a tight line. Take a heaping 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture and put on top of the noodles.
• Working from the edge of the rice paper wrapper closest to you, fold it over the filling, then fold in the sides, like you are rolling a burrito, and roll up tightly. Put the finished roll on the serving platter and cover with a damp paper towel to keep it from drying out, repeat with the remaining 11 rice paper wrappers and fillings. Serve with the remaining peanut sauce on the side for dipping.

Steps:

• For the sauce:
• Whisk together sauce ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Set aside.
• For the summer rolls:
• Put noodles in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling-hot water. Soak noodles for 10 minutes then drain and pat dry. Toss noodles with 1 tablespoon lime juice. Cut noodles with kitchen shears or knife in 5 or 6 places.
• Stir together sugar and remaining tablespoon lime juice in another bowl until sugar is dissolved, then toss with carrots and chiles.
• Gently immerse 1 rice-paper round in a large bowl of hot tap water and let stand until soft and pliable, 15 to 20 seconds. Lift out, letting excess water drip off, then lay round on a work surface, smoothing it out. If round is still very wet, gently blot top with kitchen towel.
• Arrange about 1/4 cup cabbage across center of round, leaving about 1 1/2 inches uncovered on both sides. Top cabbage evenly with 3 tablespoons carrot mixture, then sprinkle with 1 generous tablespoon peanuts. Cover mound of vegetables with a layer each of mint and basil leaves. Top evenly with about 2 tablespoons noodles.
• Fold edge of wrapper nearest you over filling, tucking in filling as tightly as possible, until it touches other side of wrapper, then fold in sides and continue to tightly roll until sealed.
• Put roll on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a damp towel and cover with another damp towel. Make 11 more rolls in same manner, storing them on baking sheet without touching.