
Words and Photography by Judy Allen
It’s hard not to taste summertime when you bite into a tender yet crisp summer roll. The crispness comes from the vegetable filling, for these classic Vietnamese treats are not fried— rice paper skins are soaked brie y in warm water to soften them enough to roll around an assortment of fresh ingredients.
I like to fill them with cooked shrimp, al dente rice stick noodles and an array of fresh herbs and veggies: mint, basil, cilantro, shredded cabbage, carrots and cucumber sticks, for starters. Feel free to swap with your favorite ingredients; shredded chicken, avocado and thinly sliced bell peppers make suitable substitutes.
There is a small Vietnamese restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri, that gives customers the option of rolling summer rolls at the table. The process is quite fun, but the rst step is a necessary one: Make sure all of the ingredients are prepped ahead of time, and have them within easy reach before the rolling begins. Once the sheets of rice paper are softened in water you won’t have time for slicing and dicing.
Store the wrapped rolls in a dish or plastic container that’s roomy enough to hold them without touching. Place a damp paper towel in the bottom of the container to keep the rolls moist, then cover them tightly with a lid or plastic wrap.

SHRIMP SUMMER ROLLS
Makes 12 rolls
Rice stick noodles and rice paper wrappers can be found in Asian grocery stores and many supermarkets. If not serving immediately, keep the summer rolls tightly covered with plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 2 hours. To serve, slice the rolls in half and serve with the nuoc cham and peanut sauces for dipping.
24 medium shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled and deveined
4 ounces rice vermicelli (rice stick noodles)
12 large rice paper wrappers
24 basil leaves ( ai or Italian)
24 mint leaves
12 sprigs fresh cilantro
2 cup nely shredded Napa cabbage
1 large English cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into long thin strips
1 cup julienned or shredded carrots
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until bright pink and just opaque, about 1½ minutes. Drain in a colander and run under cold water until cool. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and place on a cutting board. Cut shrimp in half horizontally. Place in a medium bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to wrap.
Meanwhile, place noodles in a heatproof baking dish, cover with hot water, soak 8–10 minutes, drain and rinse under cold water.
Arrange all remaining ingredients in bowls around prep area.
Place a clean, damp kitchen towel on a work surface. Place ½ inch of cool water in a pie plate. Working with 1 wrapper at a time, completely submerge the wrapper until it is soft and pliable, 10–15 seconds.
Remove the wrapper from the water and place it on the towel. Working quickly, place 4 shrimp halves, cut side up, in a straight row across lower third of spring roll skin. Top shrimp with 2 basil leaves, 2 mint leaves, a sprig of cilantro, a few tablespoons of shredded cabbage, a few cucumber sticks, a pinch of carrots and ¼ cup rice noodles.
Carefully lift edge of spring roll wrapper nearest you up and over filling. Fold sides over filling if desired and continue to roll away from you until edges are sealed, rolling as tightly as possible without tearing the wrapper. Transfer rolls to a platter, cover with a damp paper towel and continue building remaining rolls.
VIETNAMESE DIPPING SAUCE
Makes about 1 cup
Nuoc cham is a classic Vietnamese dipping sauce that is salty, tart, spicy and a bit sweet all at the same time. Adjust the flavors according to your own taste preferences.
¼ cup fish sauce
¼ cup lime juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed and finely minced (optional)
1 Thai chile, thinly sliced (optional)
¼ cup water
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Adjust flavors to taste.
PEANUT-COCONUT DIPPING SAUCE
Makes about 1½ cups
This rich, nutty sauce pairs nicely with the crisp, fresh flavors within summer rolls. I like to toss any leftover sauce with cooked whole-wheat noodles, throw in shredded chicken, grated carrots and shredded cabbage for a quick main-dish meal.
½ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup coconut milk
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (or rice wine vinegar)
1 tablespoon hot sauce such as sriracha
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
Whisk together all ingredients, adding water if necessary to reach desired consistency
JUDY ALLEN, creative director of Edible Tulsa, is an award-winning food writer, wife and mom. Texas born but Oklahoma-raised, Judy studied interior design at Oklahoma State University before she decided she would rather be IN the kitchen than designing them. She attended culinary school at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. When her classmates were debating whether to work for Jean- Georges or Daniel, she was trying to figure out how to get to Martha. She became an intern the Monday after culinary school graduation, and continued to work for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia for six years as, ultimately, senior food editor. After blizzards, hurricanes, 9/11 and, ultimately, an enormous blackout, she chose to go back to Oklahoma. Judy has been the food editor of TulsaPeople Magazine for the past seven years as well as an independent food stylist and recipe developer for other publications. Her work has been published in Cooking Light, Real Simple, Food Network Magazine and Cottage Living. She loves cooking for friends and family and documents her favorite dishes on her blog, TenThousandSnacks. com. Judy lives in Tulsa with her husband and son.

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