Mango Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce

It's warm out, and that means it's time to break out the cool and refreshing summer rolls! Made with red leaf lettuce, fresh rice noodles, cucumber, carrot, mango, cilantro, and mint, wrapped in rice paper. The dipping sauce is a spicy peanut sauce with soy, garlic, ginger, sriracha, lime juice, and cilantro. SUPER happy, and hello summer! ♥

Summer Rolls

6 rice paper rounds
3 Red-leaf lettuce leaves, spines removed, leaving 6 halves
2 ounces rice noodles
1 carrot, peeled, and cut into 4" matchsticks
1/2 cucumber, deseeded and cut in 4" matchsticks
3 green onions, cut in 4" matchsticks
1 Jalepeno, sliced thinly into matchsticks
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Fresh Lime
Rice Vinegar
1/4 cup, or 12 fresh Thai basil leaves (or regular basil leaves), rinsed and dried
6 leaves fresh mint, chiffonaded
6 medium shrimp, cooked and halved (optional)
Fresh mango, cut into thick matchsticks (optional)

Bring water to a boil, turn off heat, and add rice noodles. Let set until firm but pliable, about 8 minutes. Drain, rinse and cool (makes about 2 cups).

Line up ingredients in small bowls before beginning to make rolls. Prepare a platter for the finished rolls, lining it with slighly damp lettuce leaves to keep the rolls from sticking.  

Put carrot, cucumber, green onion, and jalapeno and in a bowl, squeeze half a lime into bowl, add a splash of rice vinegar, a pinch of salt, and the cilantro.

Fill a large bowl or saucepan with very warm water. Place a rice paper round in the hot water. Soak for between 30 seconds and 1 minute, or until rice round is pliable and pattern on the round is barely visible. Remove and place on a clean, slightly damp kitchen towel.

Place 1 piece of lettuce on the inner edge of the rice round, about 1-inch from the edge and leaving about 1-inch on each side. Top with approximately 1/4 cup cooked rice noodles. Top with some of the carrots, cucumber, and jalepeno, mango if using, and some of the mint. Bring the edge over filling and tuck underneath. As you start to roll, fold in the sides. Before rolling the last time, add two basil leaves, top side down on the rice paper; after rolling, these will shows through the paper and make the roll prettier.  If using shrimp, place the shrimp halves on the rice paper first, cut side up; then top with the basil leaves, top side down, then finish rolling to enclose and seal.  Repeat with the other rolls, setting them on the leaf lined platter. When ready to serve, slice in half and serve, cut ends up, with dipping sauce. The rolls can be made ahead by a few hours, and kept covered with more slightly damp lettuce leaves, then plastic wrap. The rice paper will dry out easily, so the rolls need to be eaten within a day or two of making them.