Recipe Station

2. How To Make Summer Rolls

Summer rolls are a cool, refreshing choice for both lunch or a light dinner. I opt for pre-cooked shrimp and skip the rice noodles, which means making the summer rolls is a truly no-cook affair.

Ingredients

For the filling:
1 quart water
24 medium uncooked shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled, deveined, and tails removed
1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
Juice 1/2 medium lime (about 1 tablespoon)
1 small seedless cucumber, julienned
1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned
2 large radishes, julienned
1 medium scallion, thinly sliced

To assemble the rolls:
4 ounces dried cellophane noodles (also called bean threads)
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
16 (8 1/2-inch) rice paper wrappers
30 fresh basil or mint leaves
8 leaves bibb or butter lettuce, halved

Instructions

1. Cook the shrimp: Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Have an ice water bath ready. Add the shrimp to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Immediately remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon to the ice water bath. Let sit for 5 minutes, then drain. Slice the shrimp in half horizontally (also known as butterflying) and set aside. Reserve the warm water for cooking the noodles.
2. Make the vegetable filling: Whisk the vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice together in a large bowl. Add the cucumber, carrot, radishes, and scallion, and toss to combine; set aside.
3. Cook the noodles: If the noodles are very long, break them into smaller bits. Return the pan of water from cooking the shrimp to a boil, then turn off the heat, add the noodles, and let sit until tender, about 10 minutes (check the package directions for times). Drain the noodles, transfer them to a bowl, add the sesame oil, and toss to combine; set aside.
4. Soften a wrapper: Fill a pie plate halfway with room-temperature water. Immerse 1 wrapper in the water until it softens, about 30 seconds. Use both hands to pull it up out of the water, being careful so it doesn't collapse on itself, and immediately lay it flat on a clean work surface.
5. Fill the wrapper: Place 2 to 3 mint or basil leaves down the wrapper, just slightly to the left of center. Place 3 to 4 pieces of shrimp cut-side up on the herbs. Place a piece of lettuce in your hand, then fill evenly with 1/4 cup of the vegetable mixture and 1 to 2 tablespoons of noodles. Place the lettuce cup to the right of the shrimp, leaving a small gap.
6. Roll up the summer roll: Fold the top and bottom of the wrapper over the filling. Fold the left side over the shrimp and continue rolling tightly to the right until it's closed and snug. Place it on a baking sheet seam-side down and cover with a damp towel. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling, adding more water to the pie dish as needed.
7. Serve: To serve, cut each roll in half crosswise if desired and serve with peanut sauce for dipping.

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