Fresh Vietnamese-style Summer Rolls

(Oven Evasion cooking part 1)

Hi there friends and welcome to the first Friday in August! Hello to those who are new. I’m glad you found your way here.

It is Oven Evasion Month. We are heading into the most blisteringly hot month in Southern California so in the next few weeks the recipes are all about fast, easy, minimal cooking that won’t heat up the kitchen.

Personally, I’m avoiding the oven. It heats up the kitchen by double digit degrees, plus no one wants to eat a steaming plate of anything right now. But the microwave, waffle iron, and rice cooker can all serve up yummy dishes, so that’s what we will use. Plus, look forward to the no-bake dessert in a couple of weeks. It is worth the calories.

Want to give your eyes a break? I read this article to you in the audio posted above.

We kick off Oven Evasion Month with a dish that requires almost no cooking. But first, let’s decipher the name.

Spring Rolls versus Egg Rolls versus Summer Rolls

Confused by the terms spring roll, egg roll, and summer roll? What’s the difference? Many restaurants and food companies seem to use the names interchangeably. For years I thought these rolls were kind of the same thing. Well, they are not.

Most recent visit to Kauai in 2019 and I rode a helicopter for the first time. Good news: didn’t scream and didn’t throw up.

Part of my childhood was spent living on the Pacific islands of Hawaii and Guam. It was at potlucks and other island gatherings that I ate my body weight in Filipino lumpia, also called spring rolls. Thin, wheat, crepe-like wrappers were filled with cooked meat and shredded veggies, rolled up, and then fried until shatteringly crunchy. So addicting and delicious.

Photo of spring rolls by Budi Puspa Wijaya on Unsplash

When we moved to the mainland U.S., I discovered similar type rolls served at Chinese restaurants deep in the heart of Texas. Here, they were called egg rolls. The wrappers were thicker, because of the addition of egg to the crepe batter, and bubbled up when deep fried. The filling was meatier, the wrapper was chewier, and the rolls were not as delicious to me, but they were close enough to what I was used to that I didn’t say no to eating a few.

Photo of egg rolls by Kyndall Ramirez on Unsplash

Fast forward a decade or so and to the West Coast’s golden state (California, if you didn’t know). It was here that I came upon yet another type of roll, the summer roll. Served in Vietnamese and Thai restaurants, these rolls have the same concept of wrapper and fillings but have very different ingredients and flavors. They are also addicting and delicious.

Summer roll wrappers labeled as spring roll wrappers. Confusion abounds.

Summer rolls are not fried but are fresh and served cold. The wrapper is made from rice flour and filled with raw veggies, fresh herbs, and lighter proteins like shrimp or tofu. The end result is cool and refreshing to eat, perfect for hot days.

So, let’s get to the recipe!

Recipe

Fresh Vietnamese-style Summer Rolls

Serves 4

Time needed: 30-ish minutes

Bright, crunchy, and refreshing! These summer rolls come together quickly once everything is sliced and ready to go. Play around with the ingredients to add or subtract what you want. I think avocado slices would also be good in this. Don’t be afraid of working with the thin sheets of rice wrappers. They are pliable and any goof ups are still edible and delicious.

The rolls are best eaten straight away, but leftovers can be stored in the fridge loosely covered with a damp paper towel and plastic wrap for a few hours. Serve with Vietnamese sweet chili sauce or Thai peanut sauce.

Place veggies, roll once, add shrimp and fold in ends, then roll to close!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb extra large raw shrimp, thawed, peeled, and deveined

• 12 sheets rice paper wrappers (sometimes labeled spring roll or summer roll wrapper)

• 1 head butter lettuce, separated into leaves

• 1 cucumber, sliced thinly

• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced thinly or grated

• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

• 3 or 4 green onions, sliced in thin strips

• Handful of fresh cilantro sprigs

• Handful of fresh basil leaves

Directions:

1. It is helpful to prepare a large plate or serving platter with a layer of damp paper towels (wet the paper towels then wring out well). This is where you will place the finished rolls in a single layer and far enough apart so they don’t stick together.

2. Place the shrimp in a large bowl. Boil 6 cups of water in an electric kettle, on the stovetop, or in the microwave. Pour the boiling water over the shrimp and allow them to poach for 3 or 4 minutes, just until they turn opaque white and pink. Don’t allow them to sit in the hot water too long or they will become rubbery and you will regret everything. Drain the shrimp and rinse with cold water. Slice them in half lengthwise, if desired (they will be less bulky inside the roll). Set aside.

3. Set up your work station after prepping all the veggies. Place two damp paper towels on a cutting board or flat surface. Fill a shallow bowl or pan with cold water and have it close by.

4. It’s time to assemble the rolls! Take a deep breath and smile because you know that you can make these. Submerge one rice wrapper in the water for 15 to 20 seconds until it becomes pliable but not limp. Place it on the damp paper towels.

5. Stack the veggies on the bottom one-third of the wrapper on top of one another: lettuce leaf, cucumber slices, carrots, bell pepper, and green onions. Roll up from the bottom one turn so that the veggies are now enclosed.

6. Arrange 4 shrimp halves on the rice wrapper directly above the enclosed veggies. Place some sprigs of cilantro and basil on top of the shrimp. Fold in the sides to enclose the ends (like you are rolling a burrito) and continue rolling to enclose everything. Repeat to make the remaining rolls. Serve with dipping sauce.

Tell Me

What are you eating in this heat? I’d love to hear how you are keeping mealtimes cool.

Next week: a vegetarian frittata made in the waffle iron. See you next Friday!