Summer Roll Recipe

Learn this summer roll recipe to make a delicious yet light appetizer that's good enough to eat as a meal. Vietnamese summer rolls are rice papers tilled with fresh vegetables and chicken or fish, if desired. Summer rolls are fun to make and would be great to make with a small group of friends. Each person could then add what they want to their summer roll to make it special for them. This recipe makes about eight summer rolls.

Ingredients:

• 10 to 12 medium shrimp, cooked or 1 cup cooked chicken
• 2 ounces thin rice noodles
• 8 rice papers plus extras
• 1/2 cup mint leaves
• 1/4 cup basil leaves
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cup mung bean sprouts
• 1 pepper, your choice depending on hotness, such as serrano, jalapeno
• 1 cup cucumber
• 2 green onions
• Boston lettuce leaves, 8 small or 4 large, cut in half
• Peanut dipping sauce

Steps

1. Dice the shrimp or chicken into small bite-size pieces.
2. Cook the rice noodles according to the directions on the package. Refrigerate to cool.
3. Rinse the cilantro, mint, and basil leaves. Chop into small diced pieces.
4. Rinse the mung bean sprouts and drain.
5. Peel and seed the cucumber. Cut into matchstick pieces.
6. Seed the pepper and cut into matchstick pieces.
7. Dice the green onions into small, thin disks.
8. Wash and pat dry the lettuce.
9. Make an assembly line to roll the summer rolls by arranging dishes of all of the ingredients so they are handy for everyone to reach.
10. Place the rice papers, one at a time, in a bowl of hot water to soften them. Leave for less than 1 minute and remove it carefully. Place the rice paper flat on the kitchen counter or other surface.
11. Begin filling the summer rolls. Add shrimp or chicken, then add rice noodles followed by the leaves, sprouts, cucumber, and onions. Spread the mixture out in the center of the rice paper about 3 or 4 inches long.
12. Fold the bottom of the paper up then fold the sides in. Next fold the top of the rice paper down, holding all of the overlapping edges in place firmly. Wrap in a lettuce leaf and dip in peanut sauce.