Easy Vegan Summer Rolls (2024)

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Peanut Dipping Sauce

• 1/4cupsmooth peanut butter
• 1/4 cupketchup
• water
• 1/2tspgarlic powder
• 3 tspsoy sauce or tamari(plus more to taste)

Summer Rolls

• 1blockextra firm tofu
• 1tbspsoy sauce or tamari
• 10-12rice paper wrappers(find in the Asian aisle at the grocery store)
• 1/2cupshredded carrots
• 1/2cupshredded purple cabbage
• 5radishes, sliced thinly
• 1/3lbthin or medium width rice noodles, prepared according to the package directions, and then roughly chopped into smaller pieces
• 1handfulcilantro leaves
• 1handfulmint leaves
• 1handfulThai basil or regular basil leaves
• 3scallions, sliced
• lime wedges to garnish

Peanut Sauce

1. Combine peanut butter, ketchup, 1/4 cup water, garlic powder, and soy sauce in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, and then stir to combine. Add a few more teaspoons of water until sauce reaches desired consistency. It will thicken up as it cools, so add more water, if needed.

Summer Rolls

1. Press the tofu: place a few paper towels on a plate, and place the tofu block on top of them. Put another plate on top, and place a heavy object (like a few cans) on top of it. Let it sit for about 20-30 minutes.

2. While tofu is pressing, prep the other ingredients (slice cabbage, prepare rice noodles, etc).

3. When tofu is pressed, slice thinly across the shorter side into about 16 equal slices. This does not have to be perfect. Place on a plate or in a bowl, and pour the soy sauce over them. Gently turn each slice of tofu in the sauce to coat. Set aside.

4. Prepare your work area with all of the toppings laid out in bowls or on a few plates. Get a large cutting board out as a work surface, and have a serving dish ready. Fill a 9x13" baking dish about halfway with very warm water.

5. Take the rice paper wrapper, and gently dip part of it into the warm water. Turn the paper, repeating the process, until the whole paper has been coated in water. Repeat one more time, quickly. The rice paper should still feel intact and pretty firm, and should not feel gelatinous (but it will soon become gelatinous!).

6. Place the wet rice paper wrapper down on the cutting board. Toward the upper middle part of the wrapper, place a few herb leaves down. Then take about 1 tablespoon or so of each of the vegetables, and cover the herbs, leaving at least a 1-1.5" border of rice paper in all directions. Top the veggies with a slice of tofu, and a "fingerful" of the cooked rice noodles (about 2-4 tablespoons--however much you'd like).

   

7. Now, we wrap the summer roll. It's kind of like wrapping a burrito, but stickier. Grab the upper portion of the wrapper; this would be 12:00, if looking at a clock. Pull it down tightly over the filling, really trying to make this as tight of a roll as possible. The wrapper should feel more gelatinous by now, and may be very sticky. Then fold each side of the wrapper over the filling (3:00 and 9:00, toward the middle), again trying to make it as tight as possible. Continue to tightly roll from the 12:00 to the 6:00 position, until you have a complete roll. Slice in half crosswise on a slight diagonal, and place on a serving platter.

8. (If the last step did not seem to go well, don't worry. Practice makes perfect!)

9. Repeat the summer roll preparation with the remaining rice paper wrappers and fillings until you have run out of supplies. You will likely be able to make more than just 10-12 rolls.

10. Serve the rolls with a wedge of lime and the peanut dipping sauce.