Vietnamese Salad Rolls
Think of Vietnamese salad rolls as compact see-through salads. Brittle rice papers turn translucent when soaked in water, like a sheer curtain, revealing what’s inside in a soft light. These rolls are ubiquitous in Vietnamese restaurants and are simply what’s typically found in a salad, rolled up in rice paper and served with a bright, zippy dipping sauce. As for the Bresaola, well, why not? This could even be a fun way to get the kids to finally eat their veggies.
Directions
For the dipping sauce
Stir the lime juice, water, fish sauce, brown sugar, and chile together to dissolve the sugar.
For the rolls
Add the rice noodles to a saucepan of boiling water and cook according to package instructions, until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and rinse to cool. Cut with kitchen shears into 4-inch lengths.
Julienne the carrots and cucumbers on a mandoline.
Fill a round dish or bowl large enough to hold a rice paper with some lukewarm water. Slip a rice paper into the water to soften. Place on counter. On the bottom third (leaving about 1 inch from the edge on each side) of the rice paper, place a lettuce leaf, 3 slices of bresaola, several cucumbers, and carrot sticks, 1/4 cup of noodles, a few sprigs of cilantro, and 4 or 5 mint leaves. Take the bottom of the wrapper and fold, starting from the sides in, and roll the ingredients into a tight roll.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve with the dipping sauce.
