Vietnamese Summer Roll with Two Dips: Fish-Calamansi and Peanut Sauce

By GERLIE M. UY

Summer rolls halved for presentation and

served here with the two dips

250 g Vermicelli, rice or mung beans
hot water

25 Rice papers

Cold or warm water


100 g. boiled or steamed beef/pork/chicken cut into strips
          (for my recipe, I used boiled beef) Also, shrimp, crab or fleshy fish may be used
1 medium turnip or singkamas, cut into strips of desired thickness
1 medium to large carrot, cut into strips of desired thickness and blanched, if preferred
1 young cucumber, peeled or unpeeled, cut into cut into strips of desired thickness
1 head of lettuce of any kind, cut into 1/2 inch-wide strips

Place Vermicelli in a big bowl, put hot water all noodles are covered.
Wait until the noodle is cooked.
Add more water if necessary and just drain if the noodles are already are tender but not overcooked.
Set aside the drained noodles.

Half-fill a big bowl with warm water (some suggests cold water but I tried the warm on this one; not hot as the rice paper will get overcooked and crumpled easily).

 Soak a piece of rice paper and immediately remove then place the same on top of a cheese cloth flattened on a table. Get some vermicilli, the meat, and each one of the vegetables and place on the lower portion of the rice paper (the side nearer to your body) like a log then tighten your grip and roll one round and secure roll by folding the left and right ends and then roll until done.

Note: The rice paper is slimy and must be moistened only and not soaked for a long time in the warm water. Many tries will perfect your roll. good luck.


TWO SAUCES TO CHOOSE

Fish Sauce and Calamansi sauce
NOUC MAM CHAM or NOUC CHAM




1 cup freshly-squeezed calamansi
1/2 cup hot water
3/4 cup white sugar or mascuvado sugar if preferred
9 T fermented fish sauce (nouc mam) or Patis (Rufina brand)
3 T apple cider vinegar (but the original recipe calls for rice wine vinegar)
3 T chopped celery
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 piece jalapeno chili with seeds, minced

In a glass bowl, add one by one the above ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved. Keep in a Jar and chill.

***             ***              ***

Peanut Sauce
NOUC LEO

2 T Peanut Oil (or sesame oil)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T garlic-chili sauce (Lee Kum kee brand)
4 T tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth

1 t white or mascuvado sugar
2 t peanut butter (if available)
1/2 cup hoisin sauce (lee Kum kee brand)
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
2 fresh jalapeno chili peppers, seeded and chopped
1 cup hot water

Saute garlic in peanut oil. Add chili and tomato paste. stir and gradually add broth. Add sugar, peanut butter, hoisin sauce, roasted peanut and chili and simmer. Gradually add hot water. Let cool and put in a glass jar and refrigerate.



TRIVIA
A summer roll or fresh roll (Vietnamese: gỏi cuốn; literally "mix salad rolled") is a Vietnamese dish consisting of pork, shrimp, herbs, bún (rice vermicelli), and other ingredients wrapped in rice paper. They are served at room temperature, and are not deep fried. Summer roll has gradually gained popularity among Vietnam's neighboring countries and in the West.

Gỏi cuốn are called by several different English names, including "salad roll," "fresh roll," "fresh spring roll," and "summer roll." Sometimes the word "Vietnamese" is added at the beginning of these words, for example, in Hong Kong they are called "Vietnamese roll," or "Vietnamese spring rolls" in Australia. Some Asian restaurants in the United States also refer them as "crystal roll" or "soft roll. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_roll

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_roll