Summer Rolls with Two Dipping Sauces

{the magnificent summer rolls}

{the duo of dipping sauces - sesame-soy & spicy peanut}

Jennie is one of my oldest and best friends and she and I share a love of cooking. Every couple of months we get together and make a fun dinner for our husbands. This time we settled on a light Asian dinner of Summer Rolls and Hot and Sour Soup. With this Texas heat we didn't want anything too heavy, plus we wanted to make sure we had plenty of room for our dessert, a wonderful berry trifle.

The Hot and Sour Soup recipe we made was just okay for me, so I don't think I'll post that recipe. But the summer rolls were amazing! And so simple that I can't believe I've never made them before. We went with shrimp, vermicelli noodles and a mixture of vegetables as our filling but you can easily switch things up with equally delicious results, I'm sure. The dipping sauces were fantastic with the summer rolls too. As a true condiment/sauce lover, I thought it was really fun to have more than one sauce with the rolls.

While this recipe is not difficult, it is a little time-consuming to chop the veggies, prepare the noodles and wrap the rolls but I found the recipe to be well worth it. The secrets to successfully wrapping the rolls are to not over stuff them with the filling and to tightly wrap them so that they stick together well. As I often write on here, if I can do it so can you!

Because the entire recipe can be made ahead of time, these would be perfect to make when you're having a party!

Summer Rolls with Two Dipping Sauces

a Baking and Eggs original

For the Sesame-Soy Sauce

3 T low-sodium soy sauce

2 T sesame oil

1/2 lime, juiced

1 t sesame seeds, toasted

1/2 t chile garlic sauce

For the Spicy Peanut Sauce

1 t vegetable oil

1 shallot, minced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 t red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicier)

3 T chicken broth

1 1/2 T creamy peanut butter

1 1/2 T hoisin sauce

1/2 t brown sugar

chopped peanuts, for garnish (optional)

For the Summer Rolls

1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and very thinly sliced

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced into strips

1/2 pkg matchstick carrots

6 green onions, thinly sliced lengthwise and cut into 3-inch pieces

1/2 pkg Asian vermicelli noodles, cooked and cooled

1 bunch mint, leaves only

1 bunch Thai basil, leaves only

1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves only

1/2 lb medium shrimp, peeled, cooked and cooled (to save time, I purchased it already cooked from the butcher)

1/2 pkg of summer roll wrappers

To make the Sesame-Soy Sauce: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk to mix well. You can make this ahead of time - store it in the refrigerator and whisk again just before serving.

To make the Spicy Peanut Sauce: In a small saucepan over medium heat, add oil. When oil is hot, add shallot, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring often, until shallot is translucent but not browned, about 3 minutes. Lower heat to medium-low. Add chicken broth, peanut butter, hoisin sauce and brown sugar. Stir until peanut butter is melted and sauce is combined. Cool slightly and serve warm. You can make this sauce ahead too - cool sauce, store in refrigerator and microwave the sauce for 20 seconds. Just before serving, garnish with chopped peanuts, if using.

To make the Summer Rolls: Place one wrapper in a large bowl of warm water. Let soak about 5-10 seconds, or until the wrapper loses its hardness and becomes pliable. Place wrapper on work surface. Add 3 shrimp in a straight line in the middle of the wrapper. Over shrimp, place 2 tablespoons of noodles. Top with 2 slices of cucumber, 2 slices of bell pepper, 1 tablespoon of carrots, 3 slices green onions, 3-4 mint leaves, 5-6 cilantro leaves and 2-3 basil leaves. Fold bottom of the wrapper tightly over the filling, stopping at the halfway point. Fold the ends in and then continue rolling. Transfer roll, seam side down, onto a serving platter. The rolls will stick together so place them slightly apart from one another. Cover with a damp paper towel and plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve, or up to 8 hours.

Makes about 15 rolls