Summer rolls

Most people are familiar with Spring rolls aka goi cuon, which you can find in most Vietnamese restaurants, but not many people have tried Summer rolls aka bo bia. Spring rolls are filled with vermicelli noodles, veggies, pork and shrimp. On the other hand bo bia (I call them Summer rolls.. well because I'm not sure what else to call them), are filled with sauteed jicama, carrots, scallions, veggies, egg, and Chinese sausage. I prefer them over Spring rolls as they're served warm.

Both rolls are wrapped with rice paper and served with a peanut dipping sauce and sriracha. I really enjoy making these rolls as they're super simple yet amazingly tasty.

Summer Rolls (Serves 3-4)

1 large jicama juilienned
2 carrots julienned
4 eggs
1/2 package Chinese sausage
2 scallions chopped
1 package rice paper
lettuce and cilantro for garnish

In a pan, sautee the jicama, carrots and scallions until tender. In a skillet, fry the scrambled eggs a little at a time, and julienne them once they've cooled. Slice the Chinese sausage and quickly pan fry. Assemble the  summer roll by dipping a round of rice paper in water to moisten. Place a small piece of lettuce on the rice paper and top with jicama/carrot mix, egg, sausage, and cilantro. Roll the rice paper tightly and make sure to fold in at both ends. Serve with peanut sauce and sriracha.

Peanut dipping sauce

Okay so peanut dipping sauce isn't really rocket science. Generally I just mix equal parts of peanut butter and hoisin sauce in a small sauce pan. You can dilute the mixture with water or milk to your liking and add more peanut butter or hoisin sauce depending on your tastes.

And what to do with that extra chinese sausage? I like to fry it up in some fried rice with veggies. If I'm too lazy to dice up some fried eggs to go in the mix, I add a fried egg on top and it does the trick!