Avocado and Mango Summer Rolls
These Avocado and Mango Summer Rolls are inspired by the Vietnamese dish of the same name. Find out just how easy it is to make them below.
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What are summer rolls?
If you’re not all that familiar with Vietnamese cuisine then you might not have come across summer rolls before. Gỏi cuốn (or summer rolls in English) are Vietnamese version of spring rolls but, they are made with rice paper. They are traditionally filled with pork, prawn and veggies! But I’ve opted for a cooling combination of mango and avocado.
They are one of my favourite light lunches or snacks, particular in the warmer months, as summer rolls are a dish best served cold. They are also best when they are packed full of lots of lovely seasonal vegetables and herbs. I’ve added fresh mint and coriander leaves to my summer rolls to for a really fresh and vibrant flavour. They look pretty too!
How to make summer rolls at home
When you first pick up a circle of rice paper you may be wondering how on earth you’re going to turn them into beautiful looking summer rolls. But, have no fear. It’s a lot easier than you might think! Just follow these simple steps.
What’s the difference between spring rolls and summer rolls?
Confusing spring rolls and summer rolls is the first hurdle you need to overcome. Spring rolls are wrapped in a pastry sheet made of flour and water and then fried. Summer rolls, however, are wrapped in rice paper that has been dipped in water to make it easier to roll. Make sure you’ve got the rice paper before you begin.
How do you prepare the mango and avocado?
The easiest way to prepare your mango is to use a sharp knife to slice the mango from top to bottom, on either side of the stone. Score thin strips into the flesh of the mango but don’t cut through the skin. Use a spoon or knife to peel the flesh from the skin. Depending on how large you mango is you may want to cut these into even smaller strips.
Preparing the avocado is very similar. Simply cut the avocado in half, but rolling the avocado so that you are able to cut around the stone (rather than slicing straight through). Gently twist the two halves to separate them. You can then use a spoon to scoop out the flesh and cut it into thing slices.
How do you prepare rice paper?
Once you’ve thinly sliced your avocado and mango you can begin to build your summer rolls, but first you must prepare your rice paper. The rice paper needs to be dipped in water so that it goes from brittle to soft and pliable. simply submerge the rice paper for 5-10 seconds until it is just starting to go soft then move it over to your work surface. Don’t be tempted to leave it in too long as it will continue to soften after you’ve removed it from the water.
How do you roll a summer roll?
The technique for rolling a summer roll is identical to rolling a spring roll (which you can see here). With the circle of rice paper in front of you, place your mango, avocado and salad sprouts horizontally roughly 1.5 inches up from the bottom of the circle and roughly 1.5 inches away from either side. First pull the bottom of the circle up and over the filling so that it is wrapped tightly. Fold in the sides of the rice paper then roll it all the way to the top.
How do you get the herbs on the outside of your summer roll?
These mango and avocado summer rolls are so eye catching because the herbs are perfectly suspended between layers of the rice paper. To get he same effect, simply pick off 5 or 6 mint and coriander leaves and lay them down on to the rice paper above the filling. When you roll upwards they will then appear around the outside of the summer roll. Isn’t it stunning?!
The recipe
Avocado and Mango Summer Rolls
Ingredients
- 10 rice paper wrappers round, 22cm in diameter
- 1 avocado thinly sliced
- 2 spring onions julienned
- 0.5 red pepper julienned
- 1 mango julienned
- 50 grams alfalfa sprouts or similar salad sprouts
- mint fresh, leaves only
- coriander fresh, leaves only
- sweet chilli sauce to serve
Instructions
- Hydrate and soften the rice paper wrappers one at a time by running them under warm water for 15 – 30 seconds.
- Place the softened rice paper wrapper on to the work surface in front of you and take a few strips of the avocado, spring onion, red pepper and mango. Lay them horizontally in the lower centres of the wrap.
- Sprinkle over a teaspoon's worth of sprouts.
- Carefully lay the mint and coriander leaves on the rice paper wrapper above the filling mix.
- Fold in the sides of the wrapper to make sure the filling won't escape either left or right when rolling. Next fold up the bottom edge of the wrapper so that the filling is fully encased.
- Roll upwards so that the wrapper that has been dotted with the leaves forms the outside of the summer roll.
- Place the summer roll to one side while you repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Serve with the sweet chilli dipping sauce on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Serving suggestions
These are the great starter, snack or light lunch. I like to serve mine with sweet chilli sauce to dip in. The sweet and spicy dipping sauce adds a little kick to the cooling mango and avocado summer rolls.
More recipe from around the world
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