Roast Beef Summer Rolls

I recently got a subscription to Food & Wine magazine.  Ok, so I subscribed some time in May, but my first issue came in the mail yesterday.  I immediately started flipping through the pages and came across an intriguing recipe for summer rolls made with deli-sliced roast beef.  I had nearly everything else on hand (including the rice paper wrappers), so I added the beef to my shopping list and planned on making these for a simple Sunday supper.  

I put these together with my mother.  I recommend that you have a helper also! The sauce and filling come together quickly, but the actual rolling takes some practice and patience. I would roll them more tightly next time.

You can find the original recipe here. What I am printing includes my notes and modifications.

INGREDIENTS

1. 1 large garlic clove, smashed (or finely diced)
2. 1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
3. 1 teaspoon Thai green curry paste (I used red and it was delicious.  Use what you have on hand.)
4. 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
5. 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (mmmm..... stinky deliciousness!)
6. 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (I used flat leaf parsley)
7. 1/4 cup chopped mint
8. 1/3 cup mayonnaise (low-fat or fat free work fine here)
9. 4 cups coleslaw mix ( I bought the really fine kind with no carrots, so I added a quarter cup of finely shredded carrot)
10. 1/2 pound rare deli roast beef, thinly sliced and cut into 1/2-inch strips (use GOOD roast beef.  Not the cheap stuff.)
11. 24 six-inch-round rice paper wrappers, plus more in case of breakage (mine were bigger, so we only got half as many.)

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix the garlic together with the chili paste and brown sugar. Add the lime juice, fish sauce and 3 tablespoons of water. Stir in half of the cilantro and mint. In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with 1 tablespoon of the green curry dipping sauce.
2. In a large bowl, toss the coleslaw mix with the roast beef and the remaining cilantro and mint.
3. Fill a pie plate with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the warm water and let it soften. Lift it out onto a cutting board covered in plastic wrap.  Let it sit a few second before filling and rolling. Spread a scant teaspoon of the curry mayonnaise on the bottom third of each wrapper and top with a scant 3 tablespoons of the roast beef filling. (amounts are totally approximate.  Do what looks right.  Roll the wrappers into tight cylinders, tucking in the sides as you go. Transfer the rolls to a plastic wrap–lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining wrappers, curry mayonnaise and filling.
4. Just before serving, cut each roll in half and serve with the dipping sauce.

Enjoy them!  (we did!!!)

Katie