For about 15 rolls

• 120g dried shrimp – the little ones (tôm khô, preferably from Vietnam)
• ½ package Chinese sausage (Kam Yen Jan brand)
• 1 medium jicama
• 5 eggs
• 1 head green leaf lettuce
• 2 large carrots
• 1 head of garlic (use some for the peanut sauce)
• 1 large bunch each of mint and Thai basil
• 1 package rice paper wrappers (Three Ladies brand)

For the peanut sauce, measurements are approximate – add a little more sweet or spicy to taste

• ½ c crunchy peanut butter
• ¼ c hoisin
• ¼ c water
• 3 T sriracha

A few tips

A half moon rice paper water bowl is not necessary, but is nice to have for dipping rice paper to make it pliable. If you don’t have one, use a big bowl or pie tin large enough to submerge the rice paper for just a few seconds.

The carrots, jicama, and sausage should all be as uniform as possible, no longer than about 2 inches in length and the thickness of a pencil.

Make sure all ingredients are at about room temperature before you start rolling, and plan to eat the rolls as soon as possible for the best texture. If you’re storing them for a couple of hours, you can lay a damp paper towel over the top and cover with plastic wrap.

Wrapping summer rolls is an art that requires some practice, but the nice thing is they are ALL delicious even when they aren’t perfect. Here’s a short, simple rolling tutorial from Vietnamese chef Andrea Nguyen: How To Make Perfect Rice Paper Rolls At Home

Why this dish is important to me

I’m a half-Vietnamese person who grew up in a White European family in Montana farm country, so my food traditions are…complicated. My childhood diet in the rural ranch areas where I grew up with my adopted family included lots of casseroles, soups, and beef and potatoes with iceberg lettuce salads. As an adult, I’ve had the opportunity to reconnect with my Vietnamese biological family and learn more about my ancestry and cultural heritage. Food has been a big part of that learning process, and it hasn’t been easy. Prior to the last decade of my life, foods like fish sauce and dried shrimp were not a part of my culinary vocabulary. I’ve struggled to eat foods that are funky, fishy, slippery, fatty, or just completely unfamiliar in taste, scent, and texture. I’ve challenged myself to eat everything, and have learned to love many new foods over the years. I have not developed a taste for beef tendon or sour shrimp, but fish sauce has become a staple in my kitchen, and I’ve learned to cook a handful of Vietnamese dishes. I’m so grateful for the chance to deepen my understanding about the food and cultural traditions that my family carried with them from Vietnam as first-generation immigrants to the United States.

The general term for salad rolls (or spring rolls – the non-fried kind) in my family is gỏi cuốn. Gỏi cuốn can be filled with a variety of vegetables, and often include bún (rice vermicelli) and pork belly or fresh shrimp. This recipe is for a specific type of salad rolls, called bò bía. Bò bía are unique in that they include the additions of tiny, chewy dried shrimp, fried greasy matchsticks of Chinese sausage, and strips of scrambled egg crepe. The lettuce leaf acts as a shield to hold in the fillings and keep the pokey bits from puncturing the rice wrapper, and also keeps the wrapper moist. While most gỏi cuốn are dipped in a sweet and spicy fish sauce called nước chấm, bò bía are served with peanut sauce. For family parties or celebrations, sometimes big batches of gỏi cuốn or bò bía are produced assembly-line style so that all of the rolls are fresh and ready to eat at the same time. Other times, rolls are made right at the dinner table by each person as they are ready to eat. Ingredients are passed on plates or placed on a lazy Susan in the middle of the table where everyone can reach.

Summer Rolls Watercolor Collage