Summer Rolls Recipes

Steps:

• For the summer rolls: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the mai fun noodles and cook until softened, 1 minute. With tongs, lift the noodles out of the water and drain; reserve the hot water for rehydrating the spring roll wrappers.
• Lightly grease a baking sheet or serving platter with oil to prevent the finished summer rolls from sticking. Clear a large work surface in front of you. Along the far end of the surface, line up the spinach, enoki mushrooms, carrots, tofu, mint and mai fun in that order. Set the spring roll wrappers and reserved hot water to one side of you.
• Take one spring roll wrapper and dip it into the hot water; it will soften quickly. As soon as the wrapper softens, lift it from the water and lay it flat and smooth on the work surface. Arrange 3 spinach leaves in a horizontal line across the center of the wrapper, leaving a 1 1/2-inch margin on either end. Top with a few pieces each of enoki and carrots. Place 2 or 3 pieces of tofu above the spinach, so the tofu and spinach lie parallel. Place 4 mint leaves above and parallel to the tofu. Top the carrots and mushrooms with about 1/4 cup of the mai fun.
• Lift the end of the wrapper closest to you up and over the filling, tucking it slightly underneath with your fingertips. Gently shape the roll, giving a gentle tug to keep it taught. Begin rolling toward the back end of the wrapper, then fold the sides in toward the center of the roll to close off the ends. Continue rolling to the end of the wrapper. Place the summer roll on the oiled tray. Repeat to create 12 rolls.
• For the peanut sauce: Whisk together the peanut butter, hoisin, soy sauce, sriracha, lime juice and garlic in a medium bowl. Whisk in 4 tablespoons water. The sauce should be a thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but still drip off lightly. Add another tablespoon or two of water if the sauce needs thinning.
• For the nuoc cham: Whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, sriracha, garlic and 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Serve the summer rolls with the peanut sauce and nuoc cham.

Steps:

• Whisk 1/4 cup rice vinegar with 2 teaspoons sugar in a medium bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add the chicken and carrot, season with salt to taste and set aside.
• Fill a large bowl with warm water. Working with 2 sheets of rice paper at a time (keep the others covered with a barely damp cloth to prevent curling), immerse the papers in the warm water until slightly softened (about 15 seconds). Remove and spread out on a clean surface or cutting board. Pat dry with a towel to remove excess water.
• Lay 2 pieces of lettuce over the bottom third of the rice paper, leaving about 1/2 inch clear on the edges. Place about 1/3 cup of the chicken-and-carrot mixture on the lettuce, top with 4 to 5 pieces of cucumber and scallion, several mint leaves and about 1 heaping tablespoon of rice.
• Roll up the paper halfway into a cylinder. Fold both edges in to tuck while continuing to roll the paper to seal. Place the rolls on a plate covered with a damp towel so they stay moist as you prepare the remaining rolls. Cut the rolls in half.
• Whisk the peanut butter, soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of water and the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar and 2 teaspoons sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Serve the rolls with the dipping sauce immediately.

Steps:

• Dip a sheet of rice paper a third of the way into a bowl of hot water for about 2 seconds. Turn it and dip remaining section, then lay on a damp towel.
• Working on bottom third of rice paper, spread a bit of lettuce, noodles, carrots, herbs and pork and/or shrimp. Fold up bottom edge to cover, then fold in the sides. Roll tightly. Continue with remaining ingredients.
• Combine fish sauce, sugar, ginger, chili-garlic paste and about 1/4 cup water. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary.
• Serve rolls right away, or refrigerate, lightly covered, up to 2 hours. Cut each roll into 2 or 3 pieces, then serve with dipping sauce and lime wedges.

Steps:

• Make sauce:
• Cook onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes in oil in a small heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until pale golden, about 4 minutes. Whisk in remaining sauce ingredients. Simmer, whisking, 1 minute, then cool.
• Make summer rolls:
• Cover noodles with boiling-hot water and soak 15 minutes, then drain well in a sieve. Pat dry between paper towels and toss with vinegar and salt to taste.
• Put a double thickness of paper towel on a work surface and fill a shallow baking pan with warm water. Soak 1 rice-paper round (make sure there are no holes) in warm water until pliable, 30 seconds to 1 minute, then transfer to paper towels.
• Arrange 1 piece of lettuce on bottom half of soaked rice paper, folding or tearing to fit and leaving a 1-inch border along edge. Spread one fourth of peanut sauce over lettuce and top with one fourth each of mint, basil, cabbage, and noodles. Roll up rice paper tightly around filling and, after rolling halfway, arrange one fourth of cilantro and carrot along crease. Then fold in sides and continue rolling. Transfer summer roll to a plate and cover with dampened paper towels.
• Make 3 more rolls in same manner. Serve rolls halved on the diagonal.