My introduction to summer rolls was at an Asian-influenced neighborhood restaurant on an extraordinarily hot summer evening. I was hooked after the first bite. Each morsel delivered a tasty, refreshing, crispy, crunchy treat.
The basis of summer rolls includes a combination of cucumbers, shrimp, mung bean sprouts, and fresh basil, mint or cilantro leaves. You don’t have to be limited to these ingredients; I experimented and discovered the filling contents can vary. Crabmeat, mango, Boston lettuce leaves, tomatoes and scallions are a sampling of ingredients that can be used to fill summer rolls with rewarding results. Whatever combination you choose as a filling, it will be delicious when dipped in my recipe for hoisin peanut sauce.
Summer rolls with hoisin peanut sauce
Rice paper is particularly thin and at first can be challenging to work with, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be rolling like a pro. The rolls can be assembled in advance; arrange them on a platter in a single layer being sure rolls don’t touch one another. When buying mung bean sprouts, look for white, plump, fresh-looking sprouts. There are no rules when filling summer rolls — depending on the desired plumpness, any leftover cucumber sticks, sprouts and avocado slices can be added.
8 rice paper wrappers (8 1/2-inch diameter wrappers)
8 large cooked shrimp, cut in half lengthwise
16 large fresh basil leaves
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into about 3-inch by 1/2-inch sticks
(seeding is a matter of preference)
Mung bean sprouts, about 2 cups
1 ripe avocado, sliced
In a shallow dish that accommodates the rice paper wrapper (a pie plate works well), soak one sheet of rice paper in hot water for three seconds or until soft and pliable. Transfer to a cutting board. Lay two halves of shrimp, cut side up, in the center of the paper, top shrimp with two basil leaves, and top basil leaves with two cucumber sticks, several mung bean sprouts and an avocado slice. Fold each side of rice paper, take the bottom half of paper and fold over filling; roll to close. Yields eight rolls, two rolls per serving.
Nutritional analysis for two rolls: 257 calories, 6 grams total fat, 1 grams saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 21 mgs cholesterol, 129 mgs sodium, 49 grams total carbohydrate, 4 grams dietary fiber, 5 grams protein, 4 grams sugar.
Hoisin peanut sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon tamari or low-sodium soy sauce
In a small bowl, whisk the ingredients together until well combined. Yields about 3/4 cup.
Nutritional analysis: 67 calories, 5 grams total fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 0 mgs cholesterol, 152 mgs sodium, 4 grams total carbohydrate, 1 gram dietary fiber, 2 grams protein, 2 grams sugar.
Catch Kerry Dunnington’s column biweekly in Healthy Life.
She can be reached at [email protected].
