At almost every opportunity, we visit our nearest and most favorite Thai restaurant. Whether we have time for lunch or a date or even just takeout, we stop for curry whenever we can. The steamy rice, the fragrant curry, the friendly staff, the slow sweat that starts under your eyes.
It's not just the curry that lures us in, though. We joke that the employees groan when they see us arrive because we're those people. The people who order the summer rolls. The only people who order the summer rolls.
I'll be honest with you. They're not easy to make. There's a learning curve involved, but that makes them kind of like a fun challenge. But you can handle this challenge. You can make the homemade summer rolls – I have faith in you!
Stare into the soul of your fridge to see what you've got at the moment. Chop and prepare the vegetables. Soak the rice papers. Carefully wrap them so you don't tear the rice papers. Mix the sauce up in a bowl. And then, finally, crunch your way through healthy, light bundles of veggies conveniently wrapped up into handheld dip vessels.
Speaking of dip... these are made for dipping
Dippability is key here. Summer rolls are the perfect vehicles for two very important kinds of dip.
Dip 1 — Creamy, sweet and tangy peanut butter dip.
Dip 2 – Sticky, sour and sweet chili garlic sauce.
Strategy – Dip summer roll in the chili garlic sauce first, then proceed to dip summer roll into peanut sauce.
This recipe includes a few ingredients that may not be easy to find. That's what our beloved Amazon is for!
Rice noodles – This is my absolute favorite brand! I used to be able to get them at a local health food store, but they no longer carry them. Amazon saves the day again!
Fish Sauce (which can be subbed for tamari or soy sauce)
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Easy Vegan Summer Rolls with 2 Dips
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Healthy, fresh rice paper rolls filled with crunchy veggies. Perfect for dipping in peanut or chili garlic sauce!
Ingredients
- 4 rice papers
- 4 carrots, julienned
- 1 red bell pepper, julienned
- 1-2 heads fresh romaine
- 4 oz. rice noodles
Creamy Peanut Dip
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 Tablespoons honey
- juice of 1 lime, about 3 tablespoons
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon warm water
Honey Chili Garlic Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
- ½ Tablespoon sriracha
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl with water – large enough for soaking the rice papers. Select a smooth surface for rolling summer rolls and lightly wet it. Soak 1 rice paper for 30 to 40 seconds, until it has softened but is still slightly firm. It should be pliable, but not falling apart (see image below). It may take you a couple of tries to get the hang of this. ;)
- Pile your veggies onto the rice paper and gently start to roll, using your fingers to keep the veggies all tightly wrapped. I like to leave the ends undone because it makes rolling so much easier, but you can fold them up like a burrito if desired.
- When you finish rolling, chop the big roll into smaller sections.
- Dip to your heart's content!
Creamy Peanut Dip
- Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Honey Chili Garlic Sauce
- Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Notes
Unless your name is Cheech or Chong, you're probably not a professional at rolling things. The trick to making these easy and rolling them tightly is to leave the ends open when you roll. You don't necessarily need to fold the ends up burrito-style – some places do and some places don't. They taste good either way!
The possibilities are endless for fillings – you can stick with what we used or switch it up completely. You could include avocado, cucumber, green onion, mango, sprouts, spinach, daikon, etc.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Category: Appetizer
Nutrition
- Calories: 98
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 93 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 1 g
YUM!! These looks amazing! I tried making something similar ones but I just didn't have the hand coordination to make them look this pretty. haha