Almost too pretty to eat, summer rolls elevate your midday meal in many ways.
Almost too pretty to eat, summer rolls elevate your midday meal in many ways. One, they’re exotic eye candy, making you feel slightly transported for the hour or so break you take. Two, you can pack them full of healthy anything, like fruit, veggies, shrimp, chicken, and more. Plus, while they look complicated, they’re super simple to make. Pick up some rice papers, and you’re set to create wrap stars you’ll be eating all season long.
MIX IT UP Have a roll with protein, one with veggies, and another with fruit for the perfect lunch.
CHOOSE YOUR COMBOS
Try these flavourful, colourful roll ideas from Keen Zheng, chef of Umami in Omaha. Once you get the hang of it, you can free-wheel omakase style – “chef’s choice” – and put together your own fun and fresh creations.
1/ Mango
+ blackberry
+ lettuce
+ avocado
+ watermelon
2/ Shrimp
+ peanuts
+ lettuce
+ mango
+ ginger dressing
3/ Red cabbage
+ tomatoes
+ chicken
+ corn
+ wasabi mustard dressing (mix together soya sauce, vinegar, and wasabi mustard)
4/ Green beans
+ lettuce
+ cucumber
+ peach
+ avocado
+ white beans
+ vinaigrette dressing
5/ Strawberry
+ blueberry
+ avocado
+ sunflower seeds
+ balsamic vinaigrette dressing
Wrap it up
NOW HERE ARE THE STEP-BY-STEPS FOR MAKING SUMMER ROLLS.
1 Cut fruits and vegetables into similar-size pieces to keep rolls even.
2 Soak rice paper in a bowl of warm water for about 3 seconds until it softens slightly.
3 Lay wrappers on a clean cutting board. Place all ingredients – vegetables, protein, and dressing – in the centre of each.
4 Fold in the sides, covering the filling partially.
5 Roll the wraps from the bottom up.
6 Cut rolls in half if desired. Store in the refrigerator in plastic wrap; tote the rolls to work in a sturdy container.
BOOST THE BENEFITS
“To make rolls more filling and satisfying, use brown-rice-paper wrappers, which have an additional 1 gram of fibre per roll,” says US-based registered dietitian Erica Julson.
PHOTOS TED CAVANAUGH
FOOD STYLING JAMIE KIMM
PROP STYLING CHLOE DALEY
