Summer Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Spring Rolls vs Summer Rolls

Spring rolls and summer rolls are often confused, but they are quite different in preparation and eating experience. While they may look similar at first glance, they come from different culinary traditions and are defined by their textures, ingredients, and how they’re served. The simplest way to tell them apart is this: summer rolls are fresh and served cold, while spring rolls are cooked and served hot.

Summer rolls are most commonly associated with Vietnamese cuisine and are often called gỏi cuốn, or salad rolls. They are wrapped in soft, translucent rice paper and filled with fresh ingredients such as herbs (mint and coriander), cucumber, vermicelli noodles, and seafood or pork. Because they are not fried, their texture is light, chewy, and refreshing. Summer rolls are typically served cold with dipping sauces like fish sauce (nước mắm) or a rich peanut sauce.

Spring rolls, on the other hand, originate from Chinese cuisine and are known for their crisp exterior. They are wrapped in thin flour-based wrappers and deep-fried until golden and crunchy. The filling usually consists of cooked pork, cabbage, vegetables, and glass noodles. Spring rolls are served hot and are commonly accompanied by sweet-and-sour sauce or plum sauce, making them a comforting, savoury contrast to the freshness of summer rolls.

Some tips before you start

Summer Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For your rice paper summer rolls:

• Rice paper sheets
• Rice noodles cooked according to packet instructions
• Mange Tout
• Edible flowers - I like to use a variety of colours with purple being a favourite
• Butter lettuce
• Carrots cut into thin strips
• Red cabbage cut into thin strips
• Cucumbers sliced into thin strips
• Fresh mint leaves sliced finely
• Fresh coriander leaves picked from the stalks

For Peanut Sauce:

• Peanut Butter - I use Black Cat with no salt & sugar
• Coconut milk or water
• Tamari / Soy Sauce
• Brown Sugar
• Fresh lime juice

Method

 

Creating your summer rolls:

1. Cook your noodles according to the package instructions.
2. Soften your rice paper by placing it (only for 10-20 seconds) in lukewarm water. Take care not to soak it for too long. You want it to be pliable and easy to work with but not soggy. Gently remove it from the water with both hands and gently lay it down on a damp cloth.
3. Remember that when adding your filling, you are deciding what the size of the summer roll will be. Take care not to add too much of the filling. Place the filling more towards the bottom third of the rice paper sheet.
4. Start by putting an edible flower and a mange tout in the middle of the rice paper round.
5. Use the lettuce as a ‘cup’. Holding it in your hand and fill your lettuce cup with about a ¼ cup of veggies and two tablespoons of noodles to the wrapper.
6. If you are using a protein like tofu, shrimp or pork mince, add it now.
7. To bring the roll together, fold up the top and bottom parts over the salad in the middle. Now, tucking the salad nicely together, roll the rice paper over the middle of the salad.
8. For the sauce: mix all the ingredients together until you have a smooth sauce.
9. Enjoy!

How fresh & gorgeous are these Summer Rolls?

Yolandi ♥

Images: Hello Love Photography