The Way We Roll: Shrimp Summer Rolls with Two Dipping Sauces

It’s hard not to taste summertime when you bite into a tender yet crisp summer roll. The crispness comes from the vegetable fi, for these classic Vietnamese treats are not fried— rice paper skins are soaked briefly in warm water to soften them enough to roll around an assortment of fresh ingredients.

I like to fill them with cooked shrimp, al dente rice stick noodles and an array of fresh herbs and veggies: mint, basil, cilantro, shredded cabbage, carrots and cucumber sticks, for starters. Feel free to swap with your favorite ingredients; shredded chicken, avocado and thinly sliced bell peppers make suitable substitutes.

There is a small Vietnamese restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri, that gives customers the option of rolling summer rolls at the table. The process is quite fun, but the first step is a necessary one: Make sure all of the ingredients are prepped ahead of time, and have them within easy reach before the rolling begins. Once the sheets of rice paper are softened in water you won’t have time for slicing and dicing.

Store the wrapped rolls in a dish or plastic container that’s roomy enough to hold them without touching. Place a damp paper towel in the bottom of the container to keep the rolls moist, then cover them tightly with a lid or plastic wrap.