Rice Paper Rolls

Rice Paper Rolls is another Summer staple on our table. It can be prepared 100% vegetarian or you can add shrimps, chicken, beef or even pork. The meat I always cook simply in frying pan with my own Teriyaki Sauce that is a bit on sweet side with the use of Mirin and Maple Syrup.

Vegetables for the roll are pretty much standard:

Carrots, lettuce, cucumber and red pepper with rice noodles and peanuts as another standard. I have included shaved asparagus cooked in Teriyaki Sauce and garlicky shrimps.



Wrapping these ingredients in rice paper that was just very quickly dragged through water in large bowl can be quite tricky because the rice paper is very brittle when dry and tears easily when wet, there is no happy middle.

Make small pile of vegies at one end and if using shrimps slice them in half lengthwise and lay them flat at other end so that they will show through just one layer of paper. Make about 2 tight turns, fold the sides over and finish the roll.

For dipping sauce I use a mix of smooth Peanut butter, Hoisin Sauce, Sriracha and Soy Sauce.

Satay Peanut Sauce

This sauce is great with skewered grilled chicken, beef or pork and is also great as Asian salad dressing or cold noodle dressing. Most Western recipes are using peanut butter in satay but try this recipe using fresh roasted peanuts and you will taste the difference. And yes, it is OK to substitute peanut butter if you don’t have fresh peanuts or are short on time but if you do, omit the water, just use 3/4 cup of peanut butter.

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh dry roasted peanuts, unsalted (make sure they are not stale)

1/3 cup water

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce

2 tsp. sesame oil

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 to 2.5 Tbsp. fish

1/2 Tbsp. lime juice

1 tsp. Sriracha sauce (or to taste)

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend or process until sauce is smooth. If you prefer a runnier peanut sauce, add a little more water or coconut milk.

Do a taste test, adding more fish sauce (or soy sauce) if not salty enough, or more Sriracha if not spicy enough. If too salty, add a squeeze of fresh lime juice. If you'd prefer it sweeter, add a little more sugar or honey.