Summer rolls in November

The first thing I saw in Vegan with a Vengeance that I really wanted to try to make was the Mango Summer Rolls. They just looked so beautiful. But I never got around to it and oh look, it's mid-November. Can you make "Summer Rolls" in November? Oh sure you can - especially if you live in an overheated New York City apartment.



I did not follow the recipe in that great cookbook - I just didn't have all the ingredients so I improvised.

It was really simple.

Rice papers
rice noodles
Fresh Mango - sliced thin
Carrots - sliced thin
cucumber - sliced thin
chopped roasted almonds
sprinkle of ground ginger

Soak the rice papers until soft (one at a time otherwise they will get too soft and tear apart when you lift them out of the water). Lay them on a towel to absorb the excess water and then lay some cooled, cooked rice noodles on one end. Then layer whatever you are using on top of the noodles - but not too much or you won't be able to close the rice paper roll.

You roll them like a burrito, except that you fold in both ends and you have to roll carefully because the rice paper can tear (especially if a carrot is a little too long and pops through!)

I think they look really pretty cut open.



The dipping sauce was something I threw together, again, with what I had laying around.

Hot Chili Oil
Peanut Butter
splash of soy sauce
splash of rosemary vinegar
ground ginger

Just whisk it together, give it a taste - adjust the peanut butter and chili oil until you have the amount of heat you like and that is that!

I think these would be fun to fry as well, making the rice paper all crispy. But I'm not much of a fryer, so I left them as they are.