In the same way my family would have celebrated any birthday back home in Singapore, I took Juan out for his 29th birthday to dinner at an Asian restaurant. At Cocina Sunae – a puerta cerrada restaurant that requires reservations and is practically hidden from the outside – a closed garage door hid the delicious smells and ingredients of the dishes that were being produced in its amazing kitchen.
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There are few things that can make me happier than a feast of authentic Asian food, particularly when I’m 30 hours by plane away from home, and even fewer things make me gladder than seeing Juan enjoy the meal with almost as much gusto as I do.
We had deep-fried shrimp and pork wantons to kick off our dinner, followed by a Thai mushroom and cabbage salad that was dressed in a refreshingly sour vinaigrette. But what really blew my mind was the steaming hot bowl of beef pho that our friend Christina Sunae brought to our table, and between the rich beef stock that took a full five hours to brew, the smooth rice noodles and the exquisitely Asian taste of cilantro, lemongrass and coriander, I found myself floating to culinary heaven.
It had been such a long time away from real, authentic Asian food that I’d almost forgotten what it was like to be cradled in and blanketed with the tastes and the smells I had grew up so intimately with. It was one of those times that I came to (or rather, confirmed) the conclusion that you can take someone out of their home country or continent, but the culture and cuisines with which he or she grew up with will forever be a part of them.
I’d realized that upon breathing in the fresh scent of lemongrass, mixed with the spicy smell of homemade siracha. I’d confirmed it again when I tasted the combination of raw beansprouts with peppery beef stock laced with fresh cilantro. These were flavors my palate recognized and immediately identified with; flavors that sung of Asia and home.
I woke up the next day, still dreaming of the feast we had the night before, and before I knew it, found myself assembling fresh vegetable rice rolls and making a spicy peanut sauce, responding to a craving for Asian cuisine that had been suddenly awoken at Cocina Sunae. These Vietnamese-inspired vegetable rice rolls are probably one of the easiest and quickest ways to satisfy a yearning for Asian food, I promise.
I started by slicing cabbage and bell peppers into the size of thin matchsticks, then soaking pieces rice paper (which I got from Chinatown “Barrio Chino”) in room temperature water for 20 seconds one at a time. Once the rice paper started to soften, I placed it on a dry wooden board, grabbed a handful of cut vegetables and threw on some fresh cilatro leaves, and began wrapping the rolls. It took me a couple of rolls of practice to get the hang of it, but once you get used to it, it’s actually very easy.
The vegetable rice rolls were great for the hot Saturday afternoon, but I wanted a rich and flavorful sauce to accompany them – and in just 10 minutes with the help of a food processor, we had a thick and chunky spicy peanut sauce on the table. Nothing makes me happier than tasting these familiar ingredients – peanuts, sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice, honey and siracha – all blended into one amazing suace bursting with flavor. This sauce, eaten together with crunchy vegetables wrapped in a thin, translucent rice paper wrapper…and I was transported back home to Asia.
Words fail me to describe the sense of comfort and familiarity I get when eating these rolls, and I think the only way you’ll understand is if you try them yourself. I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I do!
PrintRainbow Vegetable Rolls & Spicy Peanut Sauce
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
Crunchy vegetables wrapped in a thin, translucent rice paper wrapper, served alongside with a thick and chunky spicy peanut sauce..finger-licking good!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of roasted, salted peanuts
- 4 tablespoons of vegetable cooking oil
- 3 tablespoons of Asian sesame oil
- 1 large clove of garlic, roughly chopped
- 4 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons of fresh lime juice (approx 2 limes)
- 1 tablespoon of room temperature water
- 1 1/2 tablespoon of honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of Siracha or other spicy chili garlic sauce
- 1 1/2 cup of finely shredded white cabbage
- 1 1/2 cup of finely shredded red cabbage
- 1 large red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
- 1 large yellow bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
- 1 cup of fresh cilantro, leaves only
- 8 sheets of rice paper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 deg Fahrenheit (175 deg Cel)
- Pour the peanuts onto a dry baking sheet in a single layer and toast them in the oven until they are fragrant and slightly darker in color, around 7-10 minutes. Watch them carefully so they don’t burn.
- Remove peanuts from the oven, let them cool, and place roasted peanuts in the bowl of a food processor or a blender.
- Pulse peanuts a few times to chop them finely, then add cooking oil, sesame oil, chopped garlic, soy sauce, lime juice, water, honey and siracha, and process until the mixture has become a fine but not completely smooth paste. If too thick for your liking, add a bit more of water until smooth enough.
- Scrape the spicy peanut sauce into a bowl and set aside.
- Shred cabbages and slice bell peppers into matchsticks, then set aside.
- Soak the rice paper once piece at a time in room temperature water for around 20 seconds until soft, place the rice paper on a dry wooden board, and place a small handful of white cabbage, red cabbage, red bell peppers, yellow bell peppers and cilantro in the middle of the rice paper. Fold the paper from the both up, then fold in the sides, and finish rolling tightly.
- Repeat with the rest of the rice paper and vegetables until finished.
- Slice each vegetable roll diagonally into two piece, and serve with spicy peanut sauce.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Category: Asian
- Cuisine: Gluten-free
Shelby says
This is not only eye appealing but looks so delicious! Your description of the menu makes me wish I was there with you!
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Hi Shelby! Thanks for dropping by! And thank you so much for your kind words!
Del's cooking twist says
What a beautiful idea! I love the colors of the dish and the duo vegetables / peanut sauce. Totally my kind of dish. Need to try it, thanks for the recipe!!
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Hey Del! Thank you so much! I like that the fresh, crisp vegetables contrast really well with the chunky texture of the spicy peanut sauce! Plus, they can be assembled in less than 15 minutes if you have all the veggies cut out already! Great for when the weather is warmer!
christine says
These are absolutely beautiful! I just made fresh rolls the other day for the first time and I was petrified to work w/ rice paper. I was pleasantly surprised to see it only took a few mistakes to master it.
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Hey Christine! Yes! I know what you mean! The first time i used rice paper, I was worried it would get too sticky, but surprisingly, it was very easy to manage! The trick is to make sure that you only soak the rice paper in water for a little while (no more than 15 seconds if I remember correctly), so that the rice paper doesn’t get too soggy and disintegrate!
Healing Tomato says
This is the BEST looking vegetable rolls I have ever seen!! The peanut sauce is also well done.
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Thank you Rini! You are too kind!
Michele @ Flavor Mosaic says
Looks gorgeous!
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Thank you Michele!! Thanks for stopping by <3
Gretchen @Two Healthy Kitchens says
These are so stunning! I love all the fresh ingredients – so beautifully delicious! Cannot wait to try! Pinned!!
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Thank you dear Gretchen! So nice to meet you and have you stop by! Let me know if you eventually try making them! I hope you love these rolls as much as I did!! 🙂
Linda (Meal Planning Maven) says
What a gorgeous dish Felicia…so tantalizing to the eye as well as the tummy!
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Linda, my sweet friend!! 🙂 Thank you so much!! Btw, I really love your updated site!! Browsed through a couple of your recipes the other day and was tempted by more than just a few!! <3
Nisa Homey says
Stunning dish! love the irresistible pics, pinned!
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Thanks so much Nisa!! Glad you liked the pictures! 🙂
Susie Gall says
This is such a stunning dish, I don’t think I could eat it. Truly – so, so beautiful and it sounds delicious.
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Susie, you are too kind with your words! Thank you for stopping by, hope you have a wonderful weekedn ahead!
[email protected] says
Felicia, your rolls look amazing!
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Thanks Nancy, and thanks so much for stopping by!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Oh I love these! They’re so colorful and the sauce sounds amazing! What a great treat!
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Hi Patricia! Thank you! These rolls and the sauce are really delicious and light at the same time! I have to make them again soon!
Ronda says
These are gorgeous. I love summer rolls. Pinning.
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Ronda, so glad you dropped by! Aren’t summer rolls just one of the easiest and prettiest dishes to make? Love them too!
Anda Olsen says
My daughter in law to be and I will be trying the Rainbow Vegetable Rolls this upcoming weekend as we hash out upcoming wedding details!
These look super
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Hey Anda! Hope you and our daughter-in-law like the rainbow vegetable rolls!
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen Notes says
Había escuchado hablar de sunae. Que buena onda que te haya gustado tanto Feli! Viniendo de vos, vale la pena tenerlo en cuenta para comida asiática!
El lugar donde te criaste siempre te genera añoranza, vivas donde vivas, son sensaciones que no se van nunca y te hacen sentir reconfortado. Las fotos increíbles! Tenes que enseñarme a hacer éstos rolls!
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Hola Paula!!! Sabes que me parece que vas a encantar Cocina Sunae!! La verdad es que fui 2 veces y las dos veces me encantó! Esta semana o la proxima si queres juntemosnos!! un beso enorme!!
Grace Lim says
Hi Felicia,
Indeed the colour of this dish looks so vibrant and fresh that I could imagine breathing in its freshness and munching on the colourful fruit and vegetables rolled with rice paper.
This dish can be a good add-on to the lo-hei we used to take during CNY.
We eagerly look forward to your homecoming in early 2015.
Love and Blessings from home 🙂
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Mummy, i believe you’ll love this dish – fresh vegetables and bright colors!! 🙂 If I’m back for CNY we can make this!