Summer Rolls are probably one of the most popular Vietnamese street food items. These might look like a daring thing to try at home, and ingredients might look too exotic. But you can stock all ingredients from most supermarkets and Asian food stores nowadays, and this recipes makes for a light, tasty and fun appetizer to do with your friends at home. Don’t let the rolling part scare you. We have all been there, but once you get a grip on it, you can easily become one of the ladies selling summer rolls on the streets of Saigon. Oh, and that dipping sauce can also be stored in the fridge, covered, for up to a week, and used in other rice, noodle or salad dishes of your choice!

INGREDIENTS

FOR SUMMER ROLLS:

• rice vermicelli noodles
• cooked shrimp. peeled and deveined,
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1 cucumber, julienned
• cabbage, thinly sliced
• lettuce, shredded
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce (optional)
• 1 cup rice vinegar (or regular white vinegar)
• Rice paper sheets (available in most supermarkets or Asian groceries)
• fresh herbs – coriander, mint, basil

FOR PEANUT SAUCE:

• 1 cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 small thumb sized piece freshly grated ginger
• ¼ cup boiling water
• crushed, toasted peanuts, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

• Cook noodles according to package instructions. Chill with cold water and set aside.
• Slice cooked shrimp in half, lengthwise
• In a bowl mix the fish sauce (if using), rice vinegar and sugar, until sugar is dissolved. Toss with the noodles, carrot, cucumber, cabbage, and lettuce until combined.
• To assemble rolls, place a sheet of rice paper in bowl with warm (not hot) water until just softened; lift sheet carefully from water and place it on a flat surface. Place some of the noodle/veg filling horizontally in the centre of the sheet, top with herbs and shrimp halves. Fold corner point facing you up over filling; roll sheet to enclose filling, folding in sides after first complete turn of roll. Repeat with remaining sheets.
• For the peanut sauce, in a small bowl mix all the ingredients until smooth. Adjust the peanut butter and water ratio until you reach the desired consistency.