I love preparing summer rolls on hot, humid summer nights when the only food I want to eat is cold, refreshing, and not too filling! Rice paper is thin and at first can be challenging to work with, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be rolling like a pro. These rolls can be assembled in advance; arrange them on a platter in a single layer, making sure that the rolls don’t touch one another because they’ll stick together.
When buying mung bean sprouts look for plump, white sprouts; for optimum freshness, they should be purchased the day you plan to make the rolls.
Rice paper and hoisin sauce can be found in the international section of most grocery stores.
Hoisin Peanut Sauce
¼ cup natural peanut butter
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon tamari or low sodium soy sauce
In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, water, hoisin sauce, sesame oil and tamari or soy sauce. Whisk until well blended. Set aside.
8 rice paper wrappers (8½-inch diameter wrappers)
8 large cooked shrimp, cut in half lengthwise
16 large fresh basil leaves
1 cucumber, peeled, cut into 3 x ½-inch sticks (16 sticks)
1 large ripe avocado, sliced (16 slices)
About 2 cups mung bean sprouts
- In a shallow dish that accommodates the rice paper wrapper (a pie plate works well) soak one sheet of rice paper in hot water for about three seconds or until soft and pliable. Transfer the paper to a cutting board.
- Lay two halves of a shrimp, cut side up, in the center of the paper. Top the shrimp with two basil leaves. Top the basil leaves with two cucumber sticks, two slices of avocado and several mung bean sprouts.
- Fold each side of the rice paper toward the center, take the bottom half of paper and fold it over the filling, roll to close.
- Serve immediately with hoisin peanut sauce or cover and refrigerate until serving time.
4 servings
