Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce Vegan MoFo day 13


Week Three of Vegan MoFo going strong. :) I hadn't planned it this way but my Snacks and Starters theme for this week has been leaning towards healthy so far. I made Kandundes on Monday and Baked Akki Rotti Bites on Tuesday. Today is Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce.

I remember the very first time I tasted Thai Rice Paper Rolls. It was at Red Bamboo, our favourite restaurant during the time we lived at NYC. It really *really* made an impression on me. Flash forward to many years later, I got to have them once again at Loving Hut in California. These guys had brilliantly named them Summer Rolls. Fresh with crispy, cool veggies...a perfect Summer snack or meal! Ever since then I refer to them as Summer Rolls because 'Thai Rice Paper Rolls' doesn't sound half as magical.

Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

I have to say though that a large portion the magic was in the Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce that came with the Summer Rolls. Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce? It should be called Spicy Peanut *Licking* Sauce!! OMG heaven!! The ooey gooey goodness is so satisfying. *Slurp* I can just sit with a bowl full of it an and lick lick lick. No snack required. :D

Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

Summer Rolls are very versatile and don't have any specific recipe. Just take your favourite raw vegetables, salad greens and herbs and slice them thin. Then wrap them in moistened Thai Rice Paper. You can add marinaded or baked tofu into the mix. Or crispy fruits like apples or pears. I can even picture a Summer Roll with watermelon in it! I think I'll be trying that next time.

You can toss a salad in Cashew Sour Cream and spoon that into the rolls. But remember that you must always have it with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce. Unless you're allergic to peanuts of course. In which case, just dip the rolls in Tamari and enjoy.

Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

Here's what went into my simple Summer Rolls. They took all of 10 minutes to put together (including making the sauce). I usually add a larger variety of veggies, greens and herbs like basil and mint but this is all I had on hand today. But even with just two veggies the rolls were awesome!!

2 Thai Rice Paper Sheets (small, round ones) - I've found them in Bangalore at Nilgiris (Brigade Road), Food World Gourmet (MG Road) and Brown Tree (Church Street).
1 Carrot
1/2 head Romaine Lettuce

Slice the carrots into thin sticks and divide them into two bunches.
Wrap each bunch inside a few lettuce leaves and keep aside.
Dip a rice paper sheet in warm water and place on a plate.
Place a lettuce wrap in the middle of the rice paper.
Roll up the wrap half way, fold in the sides and continue rolling till you have a roll that's closed on all sides.
Repeat with the second rice paper sheet.
Chill in the freezer for a few minutes.
Remove and slice into bite sized pieces (I make each roll into 3 pieces).

Meanwhile prepare the Spicy Peanut Sauce. It's a sauce made of 100% processed ingredients. :oP

1 T Peanut Butter
Splash of Dark Soy Sauce (Tamari is a far superior choice but we don't get it here in India and I finished my stock from the US *sigh*)
Splash of Tabasco or Tamarind Paste
Pinch of Red Chilli Powder (add more if using Tamarind Paste instead of Tabasco)
Pinch of Sugar/Jaggery
2-3 T Warm Water

Mix everything and whisk well with fork.
Drizzle generously over the Summer Rolls.
Enjoy! :)

Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

Update: 23rd June 2013

The ingredients for this recipe can now be purchased in India in the form of a recipe box from Global Graynz.

Global Graynz Everything Recipe Box

They have three kinds of boxes for this recipe, first with only the Rare Ingredients, second with All Packaged Ingredients and third with All Ingredients Including Fresh/Perishable Ones (pictured above).

Click on the Global Graynz button below to be taken to the Rare Ingredients recipe box.

Global Graynz Rare Box Link

18 comments:

  1. Yes! Heavenly spicy peanut sauce! Soooo good! Beautiful rolls, Ms. Susmitha!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Slurp, slurp. So vibrant and pretty for something so easy, Susmithy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aren't the pretty ones are always easy, Gi? :oP Oh wait, you were talking about the FOOD. hehehe

      Delete
  3. i love spring rolls with peanut sauce. a place we go to here serves theirs with a sweet vinegar like sauce that is so good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooooh that sauce sounds good too, Kendy. I think at Red Bamboo they used to serve it with something similar to what you've described but that was so long ago, I can't remember exactly. Wish we had a place nearby which served them. Well the rice paper rolls weren't available here either until recently, so that's a positive step for sure. I remember the times I had to load my suitcase with rice paper from the Asian store whenever we visited the US. haha

      Delete
  4. Do you get rice paper rolls in Bangalore?? If yes. CAn you let me know where? Coz I would love to buy some. These rolls look amazing. Very well presented :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nandita, I've seen them at Nilgiris (Brigade Road), Food World Gourmet (MG Road) and Brown Tree (Church Street). I think they might be available at MK Retail in Indiranagar too.

      Delete
    2. And thanks for your kind words about the presentation. :)

      Delete
  5. I love Summer Rolls. We're addicted to it! I usually go the whole mile and put everything from vermicelli to sprouts into it. But this looks sooooooo good too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rithika, even I load mine up with sprouts and tofu and such usually. I must try vermicelli next time though. Sounds like a yum idea! :)

      Delete
  6. wow Susmita.. thank you! I was looking for a easy recipe to take to vegan potluck in 2 days and saw your post! will definitely make these and take them..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Veena, the fresher they are, the better because the rice paper tends to dry up if the rolls are left around for too long. If you have to travel a bit for the potluck, then perhaps you could prep the filling and sauce at home and make the rolls themselves at the potluck? Even if you don't have warm water on hand it's okay. The paper can be dipped in cold water too to soften, it'll just take half a minute more to become pliable, that's all.

      Delete
    2. I ended up not making it for a potluck; and used salad mix insstead of lettuce (which we never buy seperately). They came out GREAT
      For the sauce I ended up using a lot more than a splash of tamari and more chili powder than the recipe called for..
      Thanks Susmitha!

      Delete
  7. Where in Bangalore do I get Thai Rice Paper Sheets?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ramprasad, I've seen them at Nilgiris (Brigade Road), Food World Gourmet (MG Road) and Brown Tree (Church Street). I think they might be available at MK Retail in Indiranagar too.

      Delete
    2. Thanks will check at nilgiris @ hosur :-)

      Delete
  8. These look so pretty, fresh, and healthy! I bought rice paper many months ago, planning on making some, but I still haven't gotten around to it. This recipe has me hankering to go and take a crack at them!

    ReplyDelete