Summer roll

Maybe because its been warming up last week but I've been craving one of my favorite "hot day" food, "Summer Roll". They are like a salad rolled up in thin rice paper.   Yes,  rice paper.  They are the edible paper made out of rice not the shoji rice paper Japanese people uses in their traditional Japanese home.  This company calls it Spring Roll Skin but you don't fry these! They need to be wet before working with them but no too wet.. if its too wet it'll tear apart or make a hole and you don't want holes in your summer roll.. (I've tried several different brands of the rice paper, Personally I did not find really big difference in taste or texture so buy whats available but do look at them and make sure you get the ones that are not cracked or crumbled)

This is my version of summer roll and it is not a "authentic Vietnamese or Thai so please don't get mad at me that its not authentic!  I put what I want in and only what I like, why put stuff you don't like just because its normally in there . you know what I mean?  stuff like cilantro.. yeek I am not a fan of the stuff but if you like it please feel free to put it in.

First you need to decide what you are going use.  Today, I used shred lettuce (so easy! already shred it for you!) thinly Julianned (is that how you spell it??) cucumber (seedless or the baby ones are the best!), Julianned carrots, rice sticks or mung bean threads, imitation crab meat, and shrimp.  There is no rule here!! you put what you want!! not what I tell you to put!!  So go wild and be creative!

The rice stick or mung bean thread needs to either be soaked in hot water or boiled.  See what the package says.  after they are ready they need to be well drained and it would help

 Once you have prepared the stuffing, you need to take one of the rice paper round. (only work one at a time!)  you can dip it in a bowl, or do what I found to be easier to handle, set it under running water, both side and lay it on the chopping board and let it become pliable.

 they will become more translucent as they become more pliable.

 lay out the veggies/noodles, imitation crab like the picture.

 Add the shrimp red side down then fold the bottom

 tuck the sides like the picture

 Roll it  and you are done!

do you see why you want to put the shrimp red side down? you can see it and its beautiful! ok maybe not beautiful but looks cool don't it?

The dipping sauce you can try different sauces like hoisin peanut sauce:
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2 TBSP peanut sauce
1 clove garlic crushed
1/2 TBSP Rice Wine Vinegar
Mix it all up until smooth

Or the Sweet Chili sauce.  I think the Chili Sauce is to die for!! it is my all time favorite for summer or spring roll especially this brand Mae Ploy's sweet chili sauce. The best best sauce! there are other companies that produces similar sauce but this is the best best best sauce to my taste buds. again, its my opinion and I am not a authority on sweet chili sauce but this is the only sauce I buy unless ALL the Asian market is out of stock then I'll buy some other brand.  Though there is no shortage at the market, I always have a brand new bottle in my pantry just in case.

You can find all these Asian ingredients at your local oriental market.