Summer is a lot of things, but fun for the cook ain't necessarily one of them.
It can get pretty muggy standing outside in front of a grill come July, and if you're old-school like me, you could be stuck cooking in a 100-year-old house with an un-air conditioned kitchen.
One way to get around hot-weather cooking is to prepare meals that require minimal fussing. I am talking about simply chopping, mixing and assembling some tasty ingredients, which in summer is the wide variety of vegetables. To wit, may I introduce you to the wonders of the summer roll?
Also known as fresh spring rolls, summer rolls are a signature dish of Vietnam. Unlike their fried first cousins, which arrive at the table crispy brown, summer rolls are almost transparent, offering diners a tantalizing glimpse of a culinary feast to come. They can be stuffed with all manner of fresh herbs, julienned vegetables, cooked rice vermicelli and virtually any protein. Adding to their appeal is the fact they take minutes to prepare, and can be served either cool or at room temperature.
No doubt you've seen banh trang wrappers with their distinctive crisscross pattern, created when the cooked rice sheets are dried on bamboo racks, on store shelves. Unlike wonton wrappers, which are made with flour and egg and come out of the package ready to rock and roll, rice papers take some work _ you have to soak the delicate papers in water just so before you can use them.
Along with various fresh rolls, Vietnamese cooks use rice papers in stir fries, soups, baked dishes and a wildly popular street food known as banh trang tron, or rice paper salad.
The wrappers can be daunting to first-time users, but with practice you should be able to get the rolling process down. The trick is to soften the wrappers in warm water just until they're pliable and tacky, but not so wet that the edges start to stick together and you end up with a lump of goo _ it should be slightly firm and not fully folding on itself.
It also helps to rotate the sheets as you moisten them, and to shake off the excess water before you lay the rounds on a hard surface to fill and roll.
Some suggest rolling the sheets on a clean dish towel to keep them from sticking, but I found a ceramic plate worked fine. Be careful not to overstuff the rolls with ingredients or the wrappers could burst. Plus, they won't look as pretty.
In deciding what to put inside the rolls strive for balance, in texture and flavor. If you add a crunchy or chewy component, make sure there also is a tender item to play against it; same with sweet, spicy, salty and tangy flavors. If you pile on the lettuce and cucumber, for instance, add some tofu or poached shrimp, along with green onion, cilantro and chili.
Some cooks do two layers of fillings, folding the translucent wrappers over one batch of ingredients before adding the next. But it's probably easier for beginners to go with the "envelope" method of adding everything at the same time. Start at the top third of the paper closest to you, and add less filling on the wrappers than you think you need. Gently pull away the edge of the wrapper from the work surface and roll over the filling while using your fingers to gather and tuck the ingredients under the wrapper. The tighter the roll, the neater the final product.
You can leave the rolls open-ended to display the goodness inside, or fold in the sides while rolling to keep things neat. Once rolled, you can cut them in half or into mini bites.
Make the rolls ahead of time (keep in the refrigerator for up to two hours, covered with a damp towel) or simply set out the ingredients and let guests make their own rolls. No one likes a double-dipper, so be sure to set out small individual bowls of sauce for dunking.
When preparing the fillings, keep in mind that the ingredients must be very thinly sliced or julienned so that they're flexible enough to be rolled. Don't be afraid to experiment with different vegetables and herbs, and you can be equally creative with the proteins _ leftover grilled meats, savory ground meats, seafood, tofu and bacon are among the endless choices.
Go for an array of dipping sauces, too. The classic is nuoc cham, a spicy mix of fish sauce (a concentrated and pungent liquid extracted from anchovies fermented in brine), vinegar, lime juice, sugar, chili and garlic. But you'll also want to try your hand at peanut and chili-lime sauces.
Summer rolls are meant to taste light. So reach for soft butter lettuces rather than iceberg or romaine and seek out the freshest herbs. Asian groceries such as Lotus Foods in the Strip District are a great place to look for authentic ingredients, but you should also be able to find the wrappers in most of the larger grocery stores.
When choosing rice paper wrappers, look for ones made with a combination of rice and tapioca starch as they're a bit sturdier. I opted for the larger wraps so that I'd have more success at rolling. Even if they aren't perfect, they'll be delicious.
It's summer and the livin' is easy; dinner should be, too.
