When you have homegrown vegetables and a pack of tempeh that needs to be used, the best thing to do is make fresh Vietnamese summer rolls! They're simple to make and much healthier than your average, deep fried spring roll. I first learned how to make these at a Vietnamese friend's house when we were about 10 years old. It was her birthday and instead of pizza, she decided to do a "make your own summer roll" dinner. I remember piling mine high with noodles, beef, and bean sprouts - the combinations were endless! So get creative with these! The ingredients in this post are just a suggestion, but any pairing of fresh vegetables works.
Only problem - cutting the vegetables into thin slices does take some time... so make sure you're blasting some good music while you're chopping away.
Another tip - charred tempeh tastes awful. Don't let the tempeh sit on one side on the pan for too long otherwise it will blacken and all you'll taste in the summer roll is carbon. The tempeh doesn't take too long to cook so a minute or two on each side will do it justice.
For those of you not familiar with tempeh - tempeh is essentially an indonesian soybean burger. It has a nutty texture and holds together well like a dense cake. It tastes nothing like tofu, although tofu could be substituted in this recipe. Vietnamese summer rolls also often include beef, shrimp, or chicken, so use whatever you have in the house! I just happened to have tempeh sitting in the fridge that was nearing its expiration date.
Only problem - cutting the vegetables into thin slices does take some time... so make sure you're blasting some good music while you're chopping away.
Another tip - charred tempeh tastes awful. Don't let the tempeh sit on one side on the pan for too long otherwise it will blacken and all you'll taste in the summer roll is carbon. The tempeh doesn't take too long to cook so a minute or two on each side will do it justice.
For those of you not familiar with tempeh - tempeh is essentially an indonesian soybean burger. It has a nutty texture and holds together well like a dense cake. It tastes nothing like tofu, although tofu could be substituted in this recipe. Vietnamese summer rolls also often include beef, shrimp, or chicken, so use whatever you have in the house! I just happened to have tempeh sitting in the fridge that was nearing its expiration date.
Ingredients For tempeh marinade 1 pack tempeh 1 Tbsp chili oil 1 Tbsp fish sauce 2 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp sesame oil 2 garlic cloves - minced For summer rolls rice paper thinly sliced cucumber thinly sliced peppers (red, green, yellow) thinly sliced carrots chopped basil 1 cup rice noodles For hot peanut sauce 2 Tbsp peanut butter 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce 1 Tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp chili oil 2 Tbsp coconut milk 1 Tbsp sesame oil |
To Prepare
Tempeh marinade
Tempeh marinade
- Slice tempeh into 1/4 inch strips
- Mix together all ingredients of the marinade and coat the tempeh in the mixture
- Let tempeh sit in the marinade for 20 or so minutes (chop vegetables in the meantime)
- Once marination time is done, heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and swirl it around so it covers the entire bottom of the pan
- Using tongs (the hot oil might splatter out), place the strips of tempeh in the pan
- Let the tempeh cook for about 2 minutes on each side and take it out before the edges start to burn.
Summer Rolls
- Cook the rice noodles in a boiling pot of water according to directions on packet, drain, and cool.
- Soak a circle of rice paper in warm water for about 1 minute (until it begins to soften)
- Lay the rice paper on a flat surface and add vegetables, tempeh, basil, and rice noodles.
- Fold rice paper one end first, then the two sides, and then the last end. This site has images that clarify the rolling process.
- Chill for 30 minutes before serving. In the meantime, get your peanut sauce ready.
Hot Peanut Sauce
- First mix together the peanut butter and hoisin sauce until you have a paste-like consistency.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, adjusting the amount of each to your taste (for example, if you want the sauce more runny, add more coconut milk).
- Serve with the chilled summer rolls.