Super Simple Summer Rolls
We genuinely make these all the time in summer when we want something fresh, light, and a little bit impressive. There's something so satisfying about wrapping up crispy golden tofu, crunchy veg, and fresh herbs in a rice paper roll and dipping it into something punchy and delicious. The textures are incredible, that crunch from the tofu against the soft rice paper and cool fresh veg is just brilliant. They look stunning on a plate too, which never hurts. Honestly, if you've got 20 minutes and you want to make something that feels a bit special, these are the ones to make tonight.
Before You Start
- Tofu press
- Julienne peeler
- Small mixing bowl
- Shallow bowl for water
- Press tofu for at least 10 minutes before cooking
Ingredients
- 1 x 280g block of firm tofu
- vegetable oil for frying
- salt to taste
- 2 carrots
- 1 cucumber
- 4 spring onions
- 1 romaine lettuce
- 30g fresh coriander
- 10g fresh mint
- 8 rice paper sheets
- 4 tbsp rice vinegar
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 inches of fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove
Method
Cook the tofu
- Press the tofu in a tofu press for at least 10 minutes
- Place the block of tofu on its side and cut it lengthwise into 4 sheets
- Warm 1cm of vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat
- Lay the tofu sheets in the frying pan and fry on both sides until golden brown and crispy
- Remove the sheets of crispy tofu from the frying pan and lay them on the plate lined with kitchen paper
- Once most of the excess oil has been absorbed place the sheets of tofu on a chopping board and cut into matchsticks
- Season with a little salt and set aside
Prepare the vegetables
- Peel, trim and shred the carrots with a julienne peeler
- Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, scoop out the watery seeds and shred with the julienne peeler
- Trim the spring onion and finely slice lengthwise
- Cut the romaine lettuce lengthwise into quarters and cut out the white part of the quarters
- Shred the lettuce at an angle
- Core the red cabbage and shred
- Pick the coriander and mint leaves
Make the dip
- Peel and finely grate the ginger and garlic and add to a small mixing bowl
- Add the rice vinegar, soy sauce, oil, caster sugar, sesame seeds and chilli flakes to the bowl and stir to combine
Make the summer rolls and serve
- Pour 1cm cold water into the shallow bowl
- Dip a sheet of rice paper in the water and transfer it to a chopping board
- Neatly lay some tofu matchsticks, carrot, cucumber, spring onion, lettuce, coriander and mint down the middle of the rice sheet
- Tightly roll the ingredients up in the sheet of rice paper neatly tucking the ends in so you’re left with a small opaque burrito
- Repeat the process, piling the Summer Rolls up on a plate
- Serve immediately with the dipping sauce
Tips & Variations
- Work quickly with the rice paper: These wrappers dry out fast, so have your filling prepped and ready to go before you dip them in water. We usually set up a little assembly station and roll them one at a time.
- Don't skip pressing the tofu: We know it feels like an extra step but it genuinely makes all the difference. The drier the tofu, the crispier it gets. Ten minutes minimum in a tofu press is well worth it.
- Make it your own: These are really flexible. Henry loves adding a handful of fresh mint or Thai basil in with the other herbs for an extra layer of freshness, and a squeeze of lime over the filling before you roll it up is a proper game changer.
Why This Works
The trick here is getting the tofu properly crispy before it goes in the roll. Press it well, get that oil hot enough, and don't rush the frying. That contrast between the crunchy tofu and the fresh, cool filling is what makes these so moreish. Once you've nailed that, everything else just comes together.