Cooking

The Way He Rolls

Personalize Your Wraps With Fresh Local Ingredients and Pan-Asian Sauces

    Asian cuisine has given me some of the most flavorful recipes I have, and one of my favorites is for Asian roll ups. I have enjoyed many variations of traditional spring rolls right here in Bay Area restaurants as well as abroad. I developed the following recipe after sampling a wide range of Southeast Asian variants. I intentionally chose products that are both fresh and readily available to almost everyone, but still retain the essential Asian flavor and style. A lot of the distinctive taste comes from the dipping sauces, and so many in my recipe collection are delicious that I had a hard time deciding which ones to provide, so I’ve included three. These dipping-sauce recipes were chosen because they originated in different parts of Southeast Asia—each is as unique as it is flavorful. If you have an alternative that you enjoy, please feel free to use it. You can also vary the roll up recipe by substituting shredded chicken for the shrimp, or omit both shrimp and chicken for a vegetarian dish. 

ASIAN ROLL UPS RECIPE
1    dozen medium, cooked shrimp (fresh or frozen)
4    ounces dried rice vermicelli, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained
1    12-ounce package rice papers, 7 to 8 inches in diameter
1    12-ounce package bean sprouts, any kind, blanched in boiling water for 20 seconds, drained and set aside
1    cup shredded carrots tossed with 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1    cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into matchstick shapes
1    cup fresh mint leaves, any kind
1     bunch chives
1     bunch cilantro, leaves picked and set aside
1     head green leaf lettuce (optional)

    Thaw the shrimp if frozen, cut in half lengthwise and set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the vermicelli for 2 to 3 minutes, or until soft, drain and plunge into cold water. Drain the noodles and set aside. Place a large bowl of warm water on your work surface. Stack several dampened paper towels next to your bowl. Take one rice paper at a time and place in the warm water. It will soften in about 20 seconds. Gently lift it out and place it on your wet paper towels. Spread 1 tablespoon of the noodles on the rice paper one-third of the way up from the bottom. Place 1 tablespoon of the bean sprouts, 1 teaspoon of the carrots, 1 cucumber piece and 4 or 5 mint leaves on top of the noodles. Roll the bottom third of the rice paper up over the noodle-vegetable mixture. Place 2 or 3 pieces of shrimp on top of the rolled rice paper. Fold the ends in to seal and roll the paper one half turn upward over the shrimp. Place 1 or 2 chives and several cilantro leaves along the crease and finish rolling up. Moisten the edge and seal. Place the roll on a serving plate, seam side down and cover with a layer of several damp paper towels. Repeat with the remaining rice papers. These can be served whole or cut into pieces on the diagonal. You can use the optional lettuce leaves by laying one roll into a lettuce leaf and rolling the leaf around the roll. The dipping sauces below are perfect accompaniments for the roll ups. Provide several individual dishes of the sauces so everyone can dip the rolls as they eat. Makes about a dozen roll ups.


CAMBODIAN ROLL UP SAUCE
¼    cup soy sauce
¼    cup lime juice
¼    cup water
¼    cup fish sauce
2     tablespoons sugar
1     clove garlic, minced
1     or 2 serrano peppers, thinly sliced

    Mix all the ingredients together and stir until well mixed. Chill and serve. If you want less spice, omit the chilies.


THAI PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE
1⁄3 cup chunky peanut butter
2⁄3 cup coconut milk
1 stalk lemon grass, white part only, minced fine
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic-chili sauce

    Combine all the ingredients together in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool and serve at room temperature.



VIETNAMESE DIPPING SAUCE
1 cup water
2⁄3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce
½ cup rice vinegar
1⁄4 cup shredded carrot

    Boil the water. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the chili sauce and vinegar and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Cool the sauce to room temperature and add the carrot. Serve at room temperature.

—By Roy Creekmore

—Photography by Paul Skrentny