Vegan Summer Rolls with Two Dipping Sauces

I have a wonderful little tool in my kitchen which is great for asian cooking, a simple julienne peeler, which creates even lengths of vegetables, in this I used it for the carrots and mango. Buy it here from Nisbets.

Serves 4 as a starter

Prep time 45 mins

Ingredients:

Summer Rolls

20 rice paper wrappers

3 carrots, julienned

1/4 red cabbage

6 spring onions, cut in thirds and along the length

1 firm mango, julienned

100g pickled ginger, drained

Handful of beansprouts

2 tbsp tamari

2 tbsp sesame oil

150g sushi rice

300ml hot vegetable stock

Small bunch of coriander, mint and Thai basil, leaves picked

Nuoc Cham

4 garlic cloves

1 red chilli

3 tsp caster or palm sugar

Zest and juice of 2 limes

6 tbsp vegan fish sauce

2 tbsp tamari

Peanut sauce

4 tbsp smooth peanut butter

4 tbsp Tamari or soy sauce

3 tbsp Japanese rice vinegar

1/2 a 180g can of coconut cream

1 tsp Chinese 5 spice

Method:

1. Cook the sushi rice in the hot stock according to the pack instructions, allow it to cool.

2. Ideally on a mandolin, finely slice the red cabbage section. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, spring onions, carrots, mango, ginger and beansprouts. Toss together with the tamari and sesame oil.

3. Set up your wrapping area: in a wide bowl or frying pan, put some room temperature water, next to it put a clean chopping board wide enough to spread the rice paper wrappers out on. Arrange bowls around with the mixed vegetables, picked herbs, ginger and sushi rice. Lightly oil a shallow baking tray.

4. Now you are ready to start wrapping. Dip a wrapper into the water, submerging it and turning it over for about 10 seconds and then spread it out on your chopping board. About 2/3 up the wrapper lay a few herbs and top with around a tablespoon of rice spread our to around 3 inches wide. Top this with a couple of slices of pickled ginger and around 2 tbsp of the mixed vegetables. By the time you have done this the rice paper should have become a little sticky.

5. For the wrapping, tightly fold the top edge of the paper over the filling. Take the sides one at a time and tightly fold them in towards the centre so they overlap above the filling, now three sides of the filling should be enclosed. Roll the parcel towards you until you get to the end of the paper, taking care not to rip it. Remove to the oiled baking sheet ad repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling, making sure to keep space between the finished rolls so they don’t stick together.

6. For the Nuoc cham dipping sauce, grate or crush the garlic and finely chop the chilli. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and give it a good stir to dissolve the sugar.

7. For the peanut sauce simply whisk all the ingredients together in a large bowl. The ingredients are sticky so it might need a little water to loosen.

8. Serve the rolls whole or cut in half alongside the two dipping sauces.