With back to school creeping around the corner and less time in the day to focus on meal prepping, today I thought I would share an easy recipe for Vietnamese inspired summer rolls. I love making these when I want something that’s not only easy and delicious, but also healthy and packed with veggies. These make a great snack or a light lunch whether you’re heading to school or the office.
For my summer rolls today, I stuck with using a variety of fresh veggies and vermicelli noodles as a filling, but go ahead and add in some pan seared tofu for extra protein. I also am going to tell you how to make a simple but flavourful peanut sauce that you can dip your summer rolls in. Since this is supposed to be a fast and easy recipe, let’s get started!
Ingredients:
For the rolls:
1 bundle of vermicelli noodles (thin rice noodles)
1 large green onion
1 handful of chopped coriander
1 shredded carrot
1 handful of spinach (or any lettuce)
1/4 of a cucumber, seeds removed and sliced
1 bag of rice paper
For the sauce:
1 tbsp of peanut butter
1/2 of a lime, squeezed
1/2 tsp of sriracha
1 tsp of hoisin sauce
In a bowl, add in your vermicelli and cover in boiling hot water. Let the vermicelli sit in the hot water till it is cooked through, this should take 5 minutes. Once it’s cooked, drain the water and set the noodles aside.
Take your rice paper and dip each sheet into warm water. I like to lay each sheet on a plate and run the paper under running warm to hot water. The sheet should become pliable and ready to roll. Lay your rice paper on a plate or countertop and begin to lay out your veggies. You can use whatever vegetables you want, but I highly suggest using at least lettuce (in this case baby spinach) and some herbs like coriander, mint, or Thai basil. Be sure your veggies are cut nice and thing since this will make it easier to roll. Also, lay or veggies on one side of the rice paper, like you’re folding a burrito. Once your veggies are laid out, add in a small handful of your rice noodles. Roll your rice paper, and wrap in the sides. If you find that your rice paper is ripping, you’re either being to heavy handed when rolling (rice paper is very fragile), or you’re over stuffing your rice paper.
Once you’ve used up all your veggies and noodles, you can make your dipping sauce. In a small bowl, and in all your ingredients and mix together. If your peanut butter isn’t blending into the liquids, add in some hot water. Give your sauce a taste and see if it needs more lime or spice. If you find the sauce is too thick, add in more warm water or if it’s too thin add in more peanut butter.
Feel free to sprinkle sesame seeds over top for extra crunch.
Tip: If you are making these in the night before or day of eating the rolls, cover the rolls with a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out.
If you would like to see more recipes by me, make sure to check out my website and YouTube channel for new content. See you next time with a new recipe!
