Chef notes
I’m on a roll — and you could be, too, if you whip up these wonderfully spicy summer rolls. Wondering what the difference is between spring and summer rolls? It comes down to cooking: A summer roll is served cold whereas a spring roll is cooked. Also, the summer variation uses rice flour-based paper. I love that this recipe packs in so many delicious summer standouts, including mango, basil, cucumbers and avocado. Check out the recipe notes to become a wrap star and then feel free to enjoy all season long.
If your roll splits apart, you may have left the paper in the water too long. It usually takes about 10 to 15 seconds to soften, and if your water is hot, it may need even less time, only 7 to 8 seconds.
The paper will continue to soften as you pile up your ingredients. If you're too slow to roll, you may want to submerge or 7 to 8 seconds.
Make sure to remove any tough stems on ingredients so they don’t poke through and slice the paper.
Try to avoid using too much filling. It should be full, but too much can stretch the paper wrapper and cause tears.
Use a light hand and try to avoid using your fingernails as you roll.
Ingredients
- 9 rice paper wrappers (sometimes called Vietnamese spring roll wrappers or spring roll skin)
- 9-18 large pieces leafy lettuce, such as bibb, Boston or baby butterhead, any tough stems removed
- 2/3-3/4 cup julienned fresh cucumber
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- 1/2 large mango, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup fresh basil and/or mint leaves
- 1/2 jalapeño, thinly sliced into rounds
- ~1½ cups cooked vermicelli rice noodles, prepared according to package directions and cooled
Preparation
Prepare all the ingredients and lay them out in front of you before beginning to roll.
Prepare your rice paper wrapper, working with 1 sheet at a time, by submerging into warm water until it just begins to soften, about 10 to 15 seconds. Remove the wrapper from the warm water and place on a large dinner plate, or any flat surface that won’t stick. About 1/3 of the way down the wrapper, line the ingredients up evenly along the width of the rice paper, place 1 to 2 pieces of lettuce, 2 cucumber sticks, 2 slices avocado, 2 to 3 slices mango, a few basil or mint leaves, a few slices of jalapeño and a small pile of vermicelli noodles.
Fold summer roll by rolling it up, burrito-style, folding the side closest to you up and over the filling, tucking in sides and continuing to carefully tuck and roll paper around the filling into a neat roll. Repeat until you’ve used up all ingredients and serve immediately with preferred dipping sauce.