Summer Rolls With Baked Tofu And Sweet And Savory Dipping Sauce Food

SUMMER ROLLS WITH BAKED TOFU AND SWEET-AND-SAVORY DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Soak noodles in a medium bowl of boiling-hot water 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, blanch carrot in boiling water until softened, about 45 seconds. Drain. Rinse under cold water to stop cooking, then transfer to a small bowl along with cucumber, jalapeño, vinegar, sugar, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let stand 5 minutes. Reserve 2 tablespoons liquid and drain pickled vegetables.
• Drain noodles and rinse under cold water, then drain and pat dry. Toss noodles with remaining 3/4 teaspoon lime juice and snip with kitchen shears 5 or 6 times.
• Fill a shallow pan or pie plate with warm water. Soak 2 rice-paper rounds until they begin to soften, about 30 seconds, then let excess water drip off and stack soaked rounds on a work surface so that they overlap by all but 1 inch on either side. Put 2 pieces of romaine on bottom third of round. Top with one eighth of noodles (about 2 tablespoons), tofu (4 sticks), bean sprouts (about 2 tablespoons), herbs (3 tablespoons), and pickled vegetables (3 tablespoons). Roll up tightly around filling, folding in sides. Make 7 more rolls in same manner.
• Stir together hoisin sauce, peanut butter, water, and reserved 2 tablespoons pickling liquid. Serve rolls with dipping sauce.

SUMMER ROLLS WITH SWEET CHILI DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the cellophane noodles, vegetables, cilantro and peanuts in a large bowl; toss with sesame oil and lime juice to give the filling some flavor; season with salt and pepper.
• Pour 3 cups of hot, not boiling water in a large shallow bowl. One at a time, immerse the rice paper wrappers in the hot water for 10 seconds to soften, then place on a slightly damp towel. The rice paper is very delicate, don't soak them any longer or they will break apart. Keep them covered while you work to prevent them from drying out and curling.
• To form the rolls, lay a rice paper wrapper on a flat surface. Grab a small amount of the cellophane and vegetable mixture and lay it across the bottom third. Use less filling than you think you should, if you overstuff the wrapper it will tear. Carefully fold the bottom of the wrapper up to cover the filling. Fold in the left and right sides, then tuck and roll it over once. Lay 2 mint leaves on top, then tuck and roll it over to close the whole thing up like a tight cigar. The mint leaves should show through the transparent rice paper. Arrange the finished rolls on a platter and cover with a damp towel.
• Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce:
• In a blender, puree the rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, hot water, sugar, lime juice, garlic, and chili paste until combined. Pour into a small bowl and serve with the summer rolls.
• Yield: 1 cup

SOFT ASIAN SUMMER ROLLS WITH SWEET AND SAVORY DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil and cook rice noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse and cool (makes about 2 cups).
• Line up ingredients in small bowls before beginning to make rolls. 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 2 basil leaves 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. Place 2 shrimp halves on top. Top with about 2 tablespoons carrots, then 2 leaves of mint. Fold 1 piece of lettuce leaf and place on top of pile. Bring the edge over filling and tuck underneath. As you continue to roll, fold in the sides. Finish rolling, repeat with the other rolls, and reserve under a damp cloth or paper towel. When ready to serve, slice in half and serve, cut ends up, with dipping sauce.
• Dissolve sugar in warm water, combine with other ingredients, and chill until ready to use.

CAMBODIAN SUMMER ROLLS AND DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• To prepare rolls, bring 6 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the shrimp to pan; cook 3 minutes or until done. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain. Peel shrimp; chill.
• Place noodles in a large bowl; cover with boiling water. Let stand for 8 minutes; drain.
• Add cold water to a large, shallow dish to a depth of 1 inch. Place 1 rice paper sheet in water. Let stand 2 minutes or until soft. Place rice paper sheet on a flat surface.
• Spread 1 teaspoons hoisin sauce in the center of sheet; top with 3 shrimp, 1/4 cup lettuce, about 2 1/2 tablespoons noodles, 1 teaspoons basil, and 1 teaspoons mint. Fold sides of sheet over filling, roll up jelly-roll fashion, and gently press seam to seal. Place roll, seam side down, on a serving platter; cover to keep from drying.
• Repeat procedure with remaining rice paper, hoisin sauce, shrimp, shredded lettuce, noodles, basil, and mint.
• To prepare dipping sauce, combine 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 teaspoons ginger, 1 teaspoons Chile paste, and 1 clove garlic in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.

SALMON SUMMER ROLLS WITH DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Dipping Sauce:.
• Mix all sauce ingredients in a bowl. Set aside for the flavors to meld while you are making the spring rolls.
• The Spring Rolls:.
• Cook salmon in olive oil or a nonstick sprayed medium heat pan until cooked through, about 3 minutes a side, depending on the thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Break salmon apart into medium chunks with a fork and let cool while you prepare your other ingredients.
• Get your ingredients ready so that they are separate and ready to grab for each roll. I split each ingredient pile into 4 so I can divide them more evenly between the 16.
• Set 1 rice paper sheet in very warm water in a pie plate and let sit for about 15 seconds, or until soft and pliable. Remove and set on counter or other flat space where you can place the rice paper. When you remove a sheet, add another one to the hot water while you make a roll, so it will be ready to use for the next one. You will have to replace the water a few times, as it cools.
• Add 1/16th of each of the ingredients vertically on the rice paper, taking up the center half of the sheet. Fold the top quarter and bottom quarter to meet at the center of the ingredients, overlapping slightly. Tightly roll the sheet from one side to the other to make a secure spring roll. The rice paper will automatically stick to itself to "glue" it together. There is a demo on Recipezaar with photos of another way to roll them. You can see it at http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=224922. Scroll halfway down the page to view the photos.
• Repeat until you have 16 rolls and place on a plate or baking tray as you go along. You can make these hours before a party if you wish.
• Cover with plastic wrap to store in refrigerator or serve immediately with dipping sauce.