When it’s hot out, who wants to cook? Give me a huge platter of summer rolls instead and I’m a happy camper. Mike and I often spend hot summer nights chilling out by eating salad rolls. The best part about summer rolls is the fact that you can roll them at the table. Just lay everything out and everyone can make their rolls as they wish.
These rolls were made with some slow braised Japanese inspired charshu but you can use whatever protein you want: fish, shrimp, chicken, tofu, eggs, crispy deep fried pork – the world is your oyster. Heck, you could put oysters in if that’s what you’re into.
We kept it simple with lettuce and a variety of herbs, but it’s also very common to put in vermicelli if you’re looking for something a little more carb-full.
Happy rolling!
Chashu Summer Rolls Recipe
makes 12-14 rolls
Dipping Sauce
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- juice of a 1/4 lime
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
Rolls
- 12-14 round rice papers
- 1-2 cups chashu or other meat of choice
- lettuce of choice, I used green leaf
- fresh herbs of choice: cilantro, mint, Thai basil
Make the dipping sauce: Crush the clove of garlic into the sugar using a mortar and pestle. Add the lime juice and water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the fish sauce, adjusting to taste. Cover and set aside.
Take a rice paper wrapper and completely submerge it in a bowl of hot water for 10-15 seconds. Place the wrapper on a plate or cutting board – it’ll continue to soften as your assembling your roll. Add fillings as desired: lettuce, herbs, vermicelli, chashu. Fold the bottom half of the wrapper up over the filling, hold the fold in place, fold in the sides and roll, much like a burrito. Repeat until all the rolls are made. Enjoy with the dipping sauce!
Mm, these look so good! Pretty low carb too, which makes them a perfect summer food. Getting all bloated from a bunch of carbs when it’s hot is no fun. Save that for the winter time ;)