Summertime, and the Spring Rolls are Easy

Summer is upon us, and even if we can’t do as much as usual, that’s no excuse not to celebrate! One of my very favorite parts of summer is that there’s fresh produce everywhere. SO MUCH. A lot of my favorite fruits, mostly berries and tomatoes, are in season. I can break out fun cold pasta salads I love, that don’t quite fit the winter vibe. And, grilling season returns, always cause for celebration in my house!

This year, my first official summery dish was one I learned to make recently: Vietnamese-style spring rolls. I’ve heard differing opinions as to what exactly constitutes a spring roll, but the ones I made are of the unfried variety. I love these rolls as a summer dish, because they’re both cold and take full advantage of the fresh produce coming into season. But I’d always been a little intimidated at the thought of making them. They always seemed complicated, with their see-through wraps, curled shrimps, and colorful leafy fillings.

Assembly station

But I got a pleasant surprise when I attended a virtual Asian cooking workshop through UCSB Health and Wellness. Uncooked spring rolls are actually easier than they look! You can fill them with whatever toppings you like, and make as many as you want. The only trick is to not let the sticky wrapper, well, stick to itself as you roll them up. They were so delightfully simple that I was able to teach my parents how to make them after only one try on my own. Spring rolls are a great option for new cooks, especially if you make a good sauce to go with them. The “recipe” is very based on what you have in the house, and what you like as well. Basically, anything goes!

Vietnamese-Style Spring Rolls: Makes as many as you have wrappers for. I like to get the “Three Ladies Brand” 9-inch wrappers from my local Asian market.

Protein Options: Cooked shredded chicken, cooked whole medium shrimp, matchstick slices of tofu (I got a spicy marinated one), mashed-up white beans or chickpeas

Vegetable Options: Matchstick sliced carrots, shredded lettuce, green or red cabbage, chopped uncooked mushrooms, chopped onions of any type, mung bean sprouts (I imagine regular sprouts would also be good)

Fresh Herb Options: Cilantro, mint, Thai or sweet basil, parsley

Other Stuff: Cooked thin rice/glass noodles, chili paste, sesame seeds

Sauces: Soy sauce and chili paste or gochujang (Korean); peanut sauce

The finished product, with peanut and soy-gochujang dipping sauces.

To assemble a roll, soak one rice paper wrapper, rough side down, in warm water for 5-7 seconds. Drape it over a plate, leaving a little of the wrapper dangling off the edge farthest away and straight ahead of you. Line the heaviest thing you’re putting in the roll along the middle of the wrapper, leaving about ½-1 inch to the left and right. Leave ¼-½ inch of wrapper space on the side closest to you. Tip: If it looks like too little of any one ingredient, you have the right amount.
Lay the rest of the ingredients the same direction across the wrapper. When you have all the stuffings you want, carefully pull the dangling wrapper edge towards you and over the stuffings. Firmly stick the loose wrapper side to the part on the plate; you don’t have to go all the way, just far enough to get the wrapper to stick to itself. You may need to shove the stuffing in with one hand and manipulate the wrapper with the other, but rice paper wrappers have a lot of give in them.
Tuck in any loose stuffings at the sides (left and right). Fold the left and right sides of the rice paper wrapper onto the roll and press together until they stick. By the time the fillings are in, you shouldn’t have to press too hard. Give the fillings one last shove to tighten the roll, and roll the whole thing towards you until you reach the end of the rice paper wrapper. Serve immediately after you make the rolls, with the dipping sauce of your choice.