Vietnamese-Style Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Name: Vietnamese-Style Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce
Prep time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 16 rolls
Ingredients: 3/4 cup natural-style creamy peanut butter; 1/3 cup water; 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce; 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 1 1/2 medium limes); 4 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce; 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; 2 1/4 teaspoons chile-garlic paste; 1 medium garlic clove, mashed to a paste; 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil; 24 medium shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled and deveined; 4 ounces dried rice stick noodles or rice vermicelli; 16 (8-1/2-inch) round rice paper wrappers; 1 cup mung bean sprouts (about 3 ounces); 32 medium fresh mint leaves (from about 1 bunch); 32 fresh basil or Thai basil leaves; 16 small fresh cilantro sprigs; 2 serrano chiles, stemmed, halved, seeds removed, and thinly sliced lengthwise into 32 pieces (optional); 1 medium English cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/4-by-1/4-by-2-1/2-inch sticks; 3 medium scallions, quartered lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 2-1/2-inch pieces (white and light green parts only); 8 Bibb lettuce leaves, cut in half

Sauces New Year's Eve 4th of July Father's Day Asian Vietnamese Picnic Peanut Butter Healthy Vermicelli Soy Sauce Shrimp Shellfish Lime Juice Basil Cilantro Mint Chile Peppers Garlic Scallions Lunch Appetizer Make Ahead Sugar Summer Medium

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16 rolls Medium

Total: 50 mins

70 Ratings

Ingredients (20)

For the peanut sauce:

3/4 cup natural-style creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 1 1/2 medium limes)
4 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons chile-garlic paste
1 medium garlic clove, mashed to a paste
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

For the summer rolls:

24 medium shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled and deveined
4 ounces dried rice stick noodles or rice vermicelli
16 (8-1/2-inch) round rice paper wrappers
1 cup mung bean sprouts (about 3 ounces)
32 medium fresh mint leaves (from about 1 bunch)
32 fresh basil or Thai basil leaves
16 small fresh cilantro sprigs
2 serrano chiles, stemmed, halved, seeds removed, and thinly sliced lengthwise into 32 pieces (optional)
1 medium English cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/4-by-1/4-by-2-1/2-inch sticks
3 medium scallions, quartered lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 2-1/2-inch pieces (white and light green parts only)
8 Bibb lettuce leaves, cut in half

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Nutritional Information

Calories172
Fat6.85g
Saturated fat1.38g
Trans fat0.01g
Carbs21.0g
Fiber1.34g
Sugar3.67g
Protein7.65g
Cholesterol35.81mg
Sodium323.55mg
Nutritional Analysis per serving (16 servings) Powered by

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These light and healthy Vietnamese-influenced summer rolls are filled with cooked shrimp, rice noodles, and plenty of fresh herbs and vegetables for flavor and crunch. Once your ingredients are prepped, the rolling fun begins as sheets of rice paper are softened in water and used for the wrappers. Dipped in a spicy peanut sauce, these rolls are a great hot-weather appetizer or light lunch. If your appetite is piqued, learn more about Vietnamese food (and prepare to get even hungrier).

What to buy: We like to use natural peanut butter in this recipe. If you use the conventional kind, omit the sugar called for in the sauce. Look for hoisin sauce and chile-garlic paste in the Asian section of your supermarket. For the chile paste, we prefer the one made by Huy Fong Foods (with the rooster on the jar!). The rice stick noodles and rice paper wrappers can be found in most Asian grocery stores. For the wrappers, we like the Red Rose brand. For more on the seafood, see our guide on how to buy shrimp.

Game plan: Be sure to have all your ingredients ready and easily accessible when you start to roll, and give yourself plenty of time (and counter space) to make these. Also be sure to have a few extra rice paper wrappers on hand—it may take a few tries before you’re rolling like a pro.

Store the summer rolls in a dish or plastic container that’s roomy enough to hold them without their touching. Place a damp paper towel in the bottom of the container to keep the rolls moist. Cover tightly with plastic wrap.

You can make the peanut sauce a day ahead. Just keep it refrigerated in a covered container. Let it sit for a bit at room temperature before serving.

This recipe was featured as part of our summer no-cook recipes, as well as our chile pepper recipe slideshow and our picnic recipe slideshow. For summer roll/banh mi mashups, get our Rice Paper Banh Mi with Lemongrass Pork recipe, our Rice Paper Banh Mi with Five-Spice Chicken recipe, and our Rice Paper Banh Mi with Pork Meatballs recipe too.

by Regan Burns

What to buy

T-fal Specialty Nonstick 3-Quart Saucepan with Lid, $19.99 on Amazon

From making sauces to boiling or steaming vegetables to cooking pasta, a good size saucepan can do a lot, so it's a great kitchen staple.
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Tips for Shrimp

Tip

How to Store Shrimp

Shrimp like to breathe, otherwise they start to get smelly. To avoid foul seafood, you’ll first want to store your shrimp in the coldest part of your fridge. If the shrimp was purchased in a bag, open the bag and place a paper towel over the top. Proceed to transfer the bag to a bowl of ice. The shrimp should be okay to use for up to two days.

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Next: How to Freeze Shrimp

Tip

How to Freeze Shrimp

For maximum shelf life, freeze raw shrimp with their heads removed, but shells still intact. Package the shrimp in freezer bags leaving about a quarter of an inch of space at the top. Frozen shrimp can last from three to six months before needing to be discarded.

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Next: How to Thaw Shrimp

Tip

How to Thaw Shrimp

Like fish, frozen shrimp should either be left in the refrigerator overnight or thawed in a bowl of cold water. Never re-freeze shrimp. Most seafood is usually frozen prior to arriving at the grocery store and you don’t want to freeze it for a second time.

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Next: How to Store Shrimp

Instructions

For the peanut sauce:

1Whisk all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl; set aside.

For the summer rolls:

1Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until bright pink and just opaque, about 1 1/2 minutes. Drain in a colander and run under cold water until cool. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and place on a cutting board.
2Holding your knife parallel to the cutting board, halve each shrimp horizontally. Place in a medium bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
3Cook the rice noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
4Place all of the ingredients in separate containers and arrange them in the following order around a work surface: rice paper wrappers, shrimp, rice noodles, bean sprouts, mint, basil, cilantro, serrano (if using), cucumber, scallions, and lettuce.
5Place a clean, damp kitchen towel on a work surface. Fill a medium frying pan or wide, shallow dish large enough to hold the rice paper wrappers with hot tap water. Working with 1 wrapper at a time, completely submerge the wrapper until it is soft and pliable, about 15 seconds. Remove the wrapper from the water and place it on the towel.
6Working quickly, lay 3 shrimp halves in a row, cut side up, just above the center of the wrapper, leaving about 1 inch of space on each side. Layer a scant 1/4 cup of the rice noodles over the shrimp, followed by a few bean sprouts, 2 of the mint leaves, 2 of the basil leaves, 1 sprig of cilantro, and 2 pieces of serrano, if using. Place 4 of the cucumber sticks and 2 of the scallion pieces on either side of the noodle pile. Roll one piece of lettuce into a cigar shape and place it on top of the noodle pile.
7Fold the bottom half of the rice paper wrapper over the filling. Holding the whole thing firmly in place, fold the sides of the wrapper in. Then, pressing firmly down to hold the folds in place, roll the entire wrapper horizontally up from the bottom to the top.
8Turn the roll so that the seam faces down and the row of shrimp faces up. Place it on a rimmed baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and fillings. Leave 3/4 inch between each summer roll on the sheet so they don’t stick together, and replace the water in the pan or dish with hot tap water as needed.
9If not serving immediately, keep the summer rolls tightly covered with plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Serve with the peanut sauce for dipping.