Who loves summer rolls?!
*hands raise”
Summer rolls are simply one of my favorite things ever. Light, fresh, satisfying… all of the reasons why I love sushi are also why I love summer rolls. I’m a sucker for crunchy, light, bright things that are also satisfying with healthy fats, lean protein and complex carbohydrates. If you’re unfamiliar, a summer roll is a Vietnamese cold roll filled with either cooked seafood or meat, plus fresh vegetables and sometimes noodles or bean threads, wrapped in thin rice paper and served with a dipping sauce. They’re so easy to make yourself, and I usually make them with shrimp or crab along with julienned raw vegetables (cucumber and avocado are musts) and fresh herbs like basil, mint and cilantro. A container of rice paper is fairly inexpensive and seems to last a lifetime, so it’s a great healthy go-to meal if you have enough of the fresh ingredients on hand!
I hadn’t made them in a long time and stumbled upon a package of brown rice paper at my grocery store, which reminded me that I needed to make these babies again. STAT.
I hadn’t seen brown rice paper at my local market before, so I was soop excited.
Find them HERE on Amazon.
Or their white rice paper HERE on Amazon.’
But somewhere in my brain I began to dream up a breakfast version of a summer roll. It all started with me thinking of fun, healthy and well balanced breakfast ideas… and a wrap came to mind, then I cross pollinated that with the already marinating summer roll idea, and BAM. Here we are!
I took all the elements of what I love in a summer roll, but just added my soft boiled eggs instead of a meat or seafood. And holy crap, y’all. Something about that rich and creamy yolk combined with the buttery avocado, fresh herbs and crunchy veggies made my taste buds dance like horny bunnies.
I had mine with a stupid-simple dipping sauce of CocoAminos and some minced, fresh ginger. You can absolutely make yours with soy sauce + sweetener of choice + ginger, but I love the flavor of the Coconut Amino Acids, in addition to them being lower in sodium and all around healthier (Coconut Amino Acids are made from the fermented sap of the coconut palm tree and salt is added, so it’s a salty and mildly sweet sauce that is packed with umani and great flavor… it’s also gluten free, where soy sauce is not, if that’s an issue for you.) Most grocery stores have a couple different brands available, this is just the one I chose – Big Tree Farms.
You don’t have to use brown rice paper for these, the white rice paper is totally fine! Also feel free to sub out / exchange any of the fresh veggies I’m using. But I do implore you to keep the fresh herbs and the cucumber /avocado combo.
To read how to make my perfect soft boiled egg, see this post HERE.
I just adore these rolls. They make me so very happy. It’s such a fun and playful breakfast idea, and I can’t wait to make it again! Maybe for lunch tomorrow 😉
SUMMER ‘EGG ROLLS’
First, I recommend getting all your fillings ready to go.
Slice your veggies of choice into thin strips / julienne…
- Half of a medium carrot, peeled
- About 1/5 of a large red bell pepper
- 1/2 avocado (or most of one of those little bitty ones that come in a mesh bag)
- About a 3 inch chunk of an English cucumber, or peel and de-seed that much of a standard
You will also need…
- 2 soft boiled eggs (use hard-boiled if that’s what you have… or scrambled a couple!), sliced
- small handful of fresh mint leaves
- small handful of fresh cilantro leaves
Sprinkle the avocado with fresh lemon juice to prevent browning,.
Season the egg slices and avocado with kosher salt.
Now you’re ready to roll!!
Fill a large bowl with warm water (tap is totes fine) and have a clean plate or countertop ready for rolling next to your ingredients.
Carefully dip a rice paper into the warm water, and move it around until all of it is wet… keep dipping and rotating it to make it evenly soaked. Be careful not to take it too far or it will be difficult to work with and too soft / gummy.
Lay it out onto your clean plate / work surface.
Arrange your ingredients in layers on the first third of the paper. Be sure to keep the sides clear for folding when you roll (just like a burrito!)
Keep in mind that this is clear paper and if you want it to be pretty, place the pretty things down first. In this case, I laid my herbs face down and the vegetables layered in a cute, contrasty kinda way.
Then you tightly roll and tuck, then bring in each side tightly, then continue rolling tightly until you reach the end of the paper (just like a burrito!)
You will likely have a few ingredients leftover, so have yourself a snack!
Serve with this dipping sauce:
Pour about 1 tablespoon of Coco Aminos into a sauce cup.
Add about 1/2 teaspoon of finely minced, fresh ginger.
Done!
I recommend a sturdy napkin with these, and plan on not being able to put one down once you stop… like a proper ballpark dog. Don’t let the beauty of these babies fool you… they’re sloppy summabitches.
But I always think beauty is better with just the right amount of slop 😉
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thanks for reading, y’all. much love xx
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