Vegetarian Summer Rolls with 3 Dipping Sauces
Vegetarian summer rolls with avocado, tofu & fresh veggies. Serve them with 3 dipping sauces - peanut sauce, hoisin & Vietnamese dipping sauce!
- Prep time
- 35 min
- Cook time
- No separate cook time
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- ½ large red bell pepper ( - julienned)
- ½ large yellow bell pepper ( - julienned)
- 6 cocktail cucumbers ( - julienned)
- 16 oz firm tofu ( - cut into ½ inch strips)
- 3 - 4 cups spring mix or shredded lettuce
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1 avocado ( - cut into ½ inch strips)
- 4 oz dried vermicelli rice noodles ( - cooked according to the directions)
- 1 cup fresh herbs ( - cilantro, basil, mint (use any combination))
- rice paper wrappers ( - I used 10 inch wrappers (25 cm))
- ¼ cup vegan fish sauce ( - (See Note 1 for other vegan alternative); For non-vegetarians: substitute with regular fish sauce)
- ¼ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice ( – freshly squeezed, about half a lime)
- 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic ( – finely diced)
- 1 small Thai chili pepper ( – finely diced)
- 1 Tablespoon shredded carrot ( - for garnish)
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce ( – (optional))
- ½ cup hoisin sauce
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 4 teaspoons water
- 4 teaspoons lime juice ( – freshly squeezed)
- 1 Tablespoon chopped peanuts ( – for garnish)
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter ( – I used all natural unsweetened peanut butter)
- ¼ cup lite coconut milk ( – can substitute with water)
- 1 ½ Tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 ½ Tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon chopped peanuts ( – for garnish)
- 1 Tablespoon chili garlic sauce ( – (optional))
Instructions
- 1
Make the dipping sauces (peanut, hoisin, Vietnamese nuoc cham):
- 2
For each sauce, set aside the garnish and mix together all the ingredients in a medium size bowl. Add the garnish right before serving. Makes 3/4 cup peanut sauce; makes 3/4 cup hoisin sauce; makes 1 cup of Vietnamese dipping sauce (nuoc cham).
- 3
Pan fry the tofu
- 4
Cut the block of tofu into 1/2 inch strips. Add a teaspoon of oil to a pan over medium high heat and fry the tofu strips until they are golden brown on both sides. About 4 - 5 minutes. Set this aside.
- 5
Make the summer rolls
- 6
Add about a third inch of water to a large shallow dish to dip the rice paper wrappers in. Dip one sheet of rice paper wrapper in the water for two seconds and place it on a flat surface. (see Note 2)
- 7
Starting with the side closest to you, add the mix greens/lettuce and shredded red cabbage on top of the rice paper wrapper, leaving an inch of wrapper on the edge to grab ahold of later. This will provide a barrier between the vegetable filling and the delicate rice paper wrappers.
- 8
Next place the peppers, carrots, tofu, and avocado on top of the mixed greens. Finally add the vermicelli rice noodles and fresh herbs on top of everything. You should have a stack of the filling piled on top of each other.
- 9
(Optional) For presentation: if you prefer to see the colorful vegetables through the wrapper, lay them flat on the rice paper wrapper in the center. As you're rolling it up, you should be able see the vegetables through the rice paper.
- 10
Starting from the end closest to you, pick up the inch of wrapper left uncovered and roll it up a quarter of the way.
- 11
Continue rolling until all the filling is rolled into the rice paper wrapper.
- 12
Fold the left and right side of the wrapper towards the center and continue to roll it all the way up.
- 13
Place the summer roll on a plate and let it sit for 1 minute or until the wrapper is no longer tacky. The surface should still feel soft and pliable but it should not feel sticky since the excess water should be absorbed by now.
- 14
Cut each summer roll crosswise into about 2 inch pieces and arrange them on a plate. Serve with the peanut, hoisin, and Vietnamese dipping sauces.