Summer rolls – so simple but they look so impressive. Serve for lunch.
Summer rolls – makes 8
- 35g rice vermicelli noodles
- 16 chives
- 8 sprigs of coriander
- 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
- ¼ cucumber, deseeded and cut into matchsticks
- 50g bean sprouts
- ½ little gem lettuce, finely shredded
- 125g cooked, peeled prawns, halved lengthways
- 1-2 tbsp roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- 16 mint leaves
- 8 rice paper wrappers
FOR THE CHILLI DIPPING SAUCE:
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp freshly grated root ginger
- 1 red bird’s eye chilli, thinly sliced
- 1 clove of garlic, grated
Cook the noodles by bringing a pan of water to the boil. Drop in the noodles and take the pan off the heat. Leave the noodles to soak for 2 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well and set aside.
Mix all the chilli dipping sauce ingredients together with 2 tbsp of cold water and set aside.
Make sure you have all the filling ingredients prepped and to hand.
Dip a rice paper wrapper in a bowl of cold water and leave to soak for up to a minute, then transfer to a damp tea towel.
Add the filling ingredients as follows (making sure to leave a border around the edge so you can seal the roll): arrange two chives in a X in the middle, add a sprig of coriander, then some noodles, carrot, cucumber, bean sprouts, lettuce, prawns and peanuts (careful not to overfill). Top with a couple of mint leaves.
Fold the edge closest to you over the filling, tuck the sides over to enclose then ends, then roll away from you to seal. Set aside under a folded damp tea towel to stop them drying out while you make the rest. Repeat with the remaining rice papers. Serve with the dipping sauce.
(Original recipe from Rick Stein’s Food Stories, BBC Books, Penguin: Random House, 2024.)
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