middle eastern summer rolls

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Laotian summer rolls are fun to make and fun to eat. Fresh vegetables, herbs, cellophane                                                                                                                                                                                         noodles, and usually pork or shrimp are all rolled up in tender rice paper and served with a dipping sauce. Since they’re basically salads that you can eat while walking about, they great for hors d’oeuvres and buffets. I thought they’d work well as the salad course for our dinner to celebrate the Torah portion known as Bamidbar. A platter with rice paper summer rolls laid out all in a row, waiting to be counted, definitely work with the theme.     

 Of course, we’ve got a problem here. Did you catch the words, shrimp and pork? That  doesn’t exactly work for a kosher meal. We could just leave those ingredients out, but I want these rolls to contain protein. Once I started thinking about substitutions, my brain blasted off to another salad planet altogether. Our rice paper rolls could potentially be filled with anything!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Once I came to that realization, I had the entire world of salad ingredients at my fingertips.

So, what if I combine elements of my Moroccan Chicken Salad with elements of Israeli salad and roll them all up in an Asian rice paper wrapper? Crisp cucumber, juicy tomato, fresh herbs … some baby spinach leaves … Shredded carrots are traditional in summer rolls and they’ll fit right in with Israeli salad. I could season and bake some tofu with the same flavors I used in the chicken salad and roll some with chicken and some with tofu.

Now we’ve got crunchy and juicy. We need creamy, so … avocado.

And now, you’ve had a window into the strange workings of my mind.

May I present …

Middle Eastern Rice Paper Summer Rolls

Be sure to have all your ingredients ready before you begin. The important thing is that everything is crisp and perfectly fresh, because you want every element to shine.

I’m not going to give you exact amounts of the ingredients. How much you use of each item, and how many rolls you make, is up to you. Feel free to add your own innovations if you like. It’s important to resist the temptation to use too much filling in each roll. If you do, they won’t roll nicely and the wrappers might tear.

Traditional summer rolls are usually served with a gingery peanut sauce. For these rolls, we’re going to make a green tahini.

For the Chicken or Tofu

Ingredients:

• 1 block of extra firm tofu, pressed between paper towels to remove the moisture, or 1 pound chicken thighs

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• ½  teaspoon ground cumin

• ½  teaspoon ground ginger

• ½  teaspoon turmeric

• ¼  teaspoon cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• The juice of 1 lemon, plus some of the peel, microplaned

• olive oil as needed

• salt and pepper to taste

Note* If you’re using kosher chicken, you might not need salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375°

If you’re using tofu, cut it into small dice. Big pieces will tear your rice paper.

Combine all the spices.

Squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken or tofu, then add enough oil to coat the protein well without leaving extra oil.

Add the spice mix and toss with your hands to distribute it evenly.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out your protein in a single layer. Bake until it’s cooked through and beginning to color, about 20 minutes for the tofu and 30–40 minutes for the chicken. Then set aside to cool.

If you’re using chicken, shred it when it’s cool enough to handle.

For the Salad

Ingredients:

• Baby spinach leaves

• Grape tomatoes (cherry tomatoes work well, too), cut into thin slices

• 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded, diced small or cut into matchsticks

• 1 carrot, peeled and shredded

• Pitted green olives, coarsely chopped or sliced into rounds

• diced avocado

• 1 scallion, finely chopped

• Flat leaf parsley or cilantro leaves

• fresh mint leaves

• a generous sprinkling of ground sumac

For the Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

• ½ cup tahini

• juice of ½-1 lemon, to taste

• 2 cloves garlic, or to taste

• 6 tablespoons ice water

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 1 packed cup cilantro leaves

Method:

• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until puréed.

• The sauce should have the consistency of regular yogurt. Add more ice water if you need to.

Make the Middle Eastern Summer Rolls

• Have all your ingredients lined up.

• Have a large bowl or dish with a lip at the ready, filled with hot tap water. You’ll be changing the water as it cools.

• Line up 3 large flat plates.

• Dip one sheet of rice paper into the hot water for 5 seconds; then hold it up and let it drip for another 5 seconds. Lay it on one of the plates.

• Do the same thing with two more sheets of rice paper. By the time you’re done with the third one, the first should be ready to use.

• (Each time you make a roll, dip another sheet so that you keep the process running smoothly.)

• Line up a row of spinach leaves, horizontally, on the end near you, leaving a boarder around the circumference of the rice paper. If the leaves are large, tear them.

• Top the spinach with leaves of your herbs.

• Top with a thin line of your chopped/shredded/cut vegetables.

• Sprinkle lightly with sumac.

• Add a thin line of your protein on top.

• Roll them up: Fold over the end nearest you, making a tight package.

• Fold in the sides, tightly.

• Roll up your rice paper the rest of the way, keeping it tight. The rice paper is sticky and it will hold together by sticking to itself.

• Arrange the rolls nicely on a platter and serve them immediately. If you want to make them a few hours in advance, cover them tightly with plastic wrap so that they don’t dry out.

Serve the summer rolls with the green tahini dipping sauce.