Vietnamese Summer Rolls Recipe (with Peanut Dip Sauce)

Summer Rolls Recipe

I want to make this recipe for while. A few months ago I bought a pack of rice paper on Amazon to make summer rolls. But I started using them in many other recipes besides this one.

About Summer Roll Recipe

Rice paper filled with vegetables, proteins, boiled noodles and wrapped in spring rolls. These summer roll are popular in Vietnam and usually serve with peanut sauce.

Did you know that you can fry crispy cookies in hot oil with these rice papers. Then, sprinkle with chili powder and salt for a crunchy late-night snack. Give a try if you have not already.

Make Korean rice cakes (garaeddeok) from these rice papers has become a recent trend. But my real plan was to use them to make summer rolls. Today we finally got to work and made the most delicious and healthy summer buns.

I used the stuff I had in the fridge. Leftover salad from last night to fill these buns. I sliced ​​them thinly and used them here.

If you liked these fresh “summer rolls” check out my other summer recipes.

Video for Summer Roll Recipe

Summer Rolls Ingredients

These spring rolls are easy, colorful and fun to make. These filling ingredients will depend on your taste. You can customize it according to your taste and taste. Here are some choice you can use.

• Thin rice noodles (all varieties)
• Cabbage
• Cucumber
• Boiled shrimps
• Spinach green
• Onions sliced ​​
• Jalapenos
• Fried tofu
• Boiled chicken

To make peanut sauce, you need the basic ingredients in your pantry: peanuts, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, honey or maple syrup, fresh garlic, and ginger.

 How to perfectly wrap a fresh spring roll

Fresh spring rolls, summer rolls or rice paper rolls are so much fun to make. But it can seem scary. Your first spring roll won’t be perfect, but don’t lose confidence. As you keep practicing, you will understand. Here are some tips for the perfect summer rolls.

1)Use a kitchen towel

Start by spreading a towel or wet tissue on the work surface. That way your rice paper won’t stick to the plates or the work surface, and it’s pretty easy to work with.

 2) Dive calmly

Take a large shallow bowl. Fill it with room temperature water. Never soak the rice paper in too much water. Just 3 seconds is more than enough. After remove rice paper from water, place it on damp kitchen towel.

 3) Stack the ingredients

Summer rolls are quite transparent. That way you can stack the ingredients accordingly. If you use cooked prawn, place them on bottom so spring rolls look pretty.

 4) Roll them firmly but carefully

Once you have gathered the ingredients. fold them on both sides so that it is closed. Then roll gently but firmly. Rice paper sticks to itself.

5)Serve them right

These summer rolls are a bit sticky. Place them on a greased plate. You may need to oil the serving plate to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the plate while resting.

This peanut dip is so good that it can literally be served with anything and everything. I would love to dip my fried spring rolls, momos, fries or whatever in it. But it goes well with roasted chicken and vegetables.

 Must Try this Spicy Grilled Chicken and Chicken Satay Recipe

Vietnamese Summer Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

📖 Recipe

 Summer is rolling step by step with pictures

1) Start by making the dipping sauce. This peanut dip is one of my favorites. I literally get it with anything and everything. Some recipes call for peanut butter. But I like to roast my own nuts and use them. If you have roasted peanuts, you can skip this step.

Take a small pan. Add the raw peanuts and roast them on low heat until the skin darkens and the peanuts are roasted. If you don’t like it, fry it in a pan. You can roast peanuts in an oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.

2) When the roasted peanuts have cooled. Take it in a blender and turn it into a fine powder. If you keep mixing, you will end up with peanut butter. If that’s what you want. So here is the recipe for homemade peanut butter.

Even if the peanut collapses and turns into a paste, it’s not a problem, you can still use it.

3) You can see that the peanuts are ground. At this time, a very nutty aroma develops. You can store this roasted peanut powder in a container in the refrigerator. I like to add it to my smoothie for more protein.

4) Now we prepare the sauce. Now this sauce is easy. You make this within 5 minutes. Heat the oil in a small pan. I used regular cooking oil. You can also use sesame or olive oil. 5) Add minced garlic and ginger. I used 1 teaspoon ginger and two teaspoon of garlic. I like to chop them very finely. Some recipes call for ground ginger and garlic, but I like it a little chunky. 

Saute ginger and garlic over low heat for 30-45 seconds until fragrant.

 6) Add roasted peanut powder. If you have peanut butter on hand, you can skip roasting and grind the whole peanut. Add ½ cup of smooth or thick peanut butter to it. 

 7) Add water. Some recipes call for coconut milk, but I like to use water for a lighter version of this sauce. I want this recipe to have the taste of peanuts, ginger and garlic. However, if you want, you can add coconut milk.

8) Mix peanut powder with water until smooth and creamy. You can check and add water if needed. The sauce thickens a lot as it cools, so adjust the consistency accordingly.

 9) Add soy sauce. I don’t usually measure soy sauce. I adjust the flavor as I go, as each soy sauce has a different salt level. So add accordingly.

1 tablespoon of soy sauce usually does the trick. If you only have dark soy sauce, add a little at a time as it will get too dark.

10) This is optional. But I like to add red chili sauce for a spicy kick. You can skip it entirely. But I suggest you add some.

You can use any chili sauce you like. Sriracha, Sambal oelek or any sauce of your choice.

Add brown sugar. If you don’t have brown sugar on hand. You can also add white sugar, honey or maple syrup. You need a sweetener of your choice.

 11) Mix everything well. Add some water if sauce thick too much. I recommend keeping a pitcher of hot water handy to loosen the sauce.

 12) I literally forgot to add the vinegar at this point. I thought red chili sauce might add flavor since most store bought red chili sauce has vinegar added to it. But this sauce needed extra vinegar.

You can use regular vinegar, white vinegar. But if you have rice vinegar, add it.

 13) Add red chilies. it is completely optional. Red chili adds spiciness. But if you want something extra, add some red chilies.

14) Mix them all together. That’s it, your peanut sauce is ready. Let me tell you, this peanut sauce is a must have recipe. I wanted to bottle it and sell it. It’s too good.

If it lasts that long, you can store it in a jar in the fridge for up to 10 days. 

Make summer roll

Now let’s move on to summer rolls. I prepared almost all the ingredients. You will need rice paper. I used authentic Thai brand rice paper which I liked best. Lettuce, carrot, green pepper, red and yellow pepper, which I cut very thinly.

Boil the chicken breast in salted water until cooked. Cool and grate coarsely. The noodles seen here are Korean noodles made from sweet potatoes. It is often called a glass noodle.

The rice noodles you use to make yapchae. Check out my vegetable yapchas, glass noodles with egg dumplings.

Here I used chicken breast. I boiled in water with only salt. I got completely cold and chopped.

I seasoned the boiled chicken with soy sauce. Because boiled chicken itself has no taste. If you want, you can add a little vinegar, salt, pepper.

It’s totally up to you. I used chicken because I want some protein in summer rolls.

You can use boiled shrimp instead of chicken. If you are a vegetarian, you can also use fried tofu and mushrooms.

These are colored vegetable boards. The possibilities for filling summer rolls are endless. You can use cucumbers, cabbage, cooked broccoli, mushrooms, corn, even beans.

These are the glass noodles I was talking about. I think the noodles are usually 4 in a pack. it is neatly put together like this.

I used two bunches in this recipe. Use rice noodles for better texture. Take the noodles in a ceramic bowl. I used different noodles for this.

You can also use plain white noodles. I like this sweet potato noodle because it is chewier.

No need to boil the noodles. It is enough to soak it in boiling water for 5-10 minutes. I covered the noodles with boiling hot water and let them sit for about 10 minutes until the noodles softened.

Drain it later and set aside. You can cut the noodles into small pieces with scissors.  Rolling summer rolls

Take a large shallow bowl. Fill it with room temperature water. I really love this bowl. It is beautiful.

Now take your rice paper. It looks like this. The dried form looks fresh and cardboard-like. If you put it in water, it becomes softer.

Soak rice paper in water. Do not leave it in water for long time. This is the most important step. Soak in water for only 2-3 seconds. That’s all. If you water it too long, it will be damaged.

Delete it now. When you remove it from the water, you will notice that the paper is still hard. But trust me, it gets softer and more flexible as you sit.

Make sure you have a clean kitchen towel in front of you. Place the rice paper on a kitchen counter. The purpose of kitchen towel is absorb excess water from rice paper and make rice paper softer easy to roll later.

Now we start to assemble. I like to put it on the bottom of a salad because of the green color. Cabbage use instead of lettuce. Be sure slice them very thin.

After you have cooked the prawns, I recommend placing them on the bottom as they look pretty when you flip them over.

Spread the carrot. I shaved carrots from last night’s salad. You can julienne them.

Now put the peppers. Colors are important in this recipe. Be sure to use different colored vegetables for a more attractive look. You can use some slice of cucumber.

Now add the noodles. I just added drained noodles. If you wish, you can lightly season the noodles with soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. It adds flavor. You can see that the glass noodles are slightly gray. If you use regular rice vermicelli, it will be whiter.

Top with cooked chicken. If you are a vegetarian, you can use fried tofu cubes. Or skip the chicken part of this recipe.

Now comes the rolling part. This step is important. First fold from both sides.

This will seal the filling. Then you start rolling from one end. Roll tight and firm. It is very easy to do.

See that it is rolled correctly. Look at these beautiful colors. That’s all. Your summer buns are ready. You can put them on a greased plate so they don’t stick to the plate.

Also, make sure you keep them covered so they don’t dry out.

Serve summer rolls with peanut dip. Delicious!

Sooo Yummy!

 Tips and tricks

1. Do not soak the rice paper in water for too long or it may soften and tear.
2. Use a kitchen towel to remove the rice paper.
3. So it absorbs excess moisture.
4. Do not crowd the rice paper with the filling too much or it may look awkward and fall apart.
5. When you make the sauce, make it a little mocha. Because sauce thickens considerably cool.
6. Use any vegetables or toppings.

Storage recommendations

1. Summer rolls taste best fresh. If you plan to keep it longer, cover it with a damp towel until serving.
2. Summer rolls cannot be stored in the refrigerator, rice paper solidifies in storage.
3. You can prepare the vegetables, prepare the sauce, cook the chicken, cook the noodles the day before. But the wrapping must be done immediately before serving.

Service suggestions

Serve summer roll immediately cold at room temperature. Enjoy with dipping sauce.