Is anyone else absolutely obsessed with Vietnamese Summer Rolls? I just can’t get enough, especially now that I know how easy they are to make at home! These Lemongrass Beef Summer Rolls are so so flavorful and include all the best flavors including herbs fresh from our backyard garden – thai basil, mint, and cilantro, I’m looking at you!
These summer rolls feature a classic recipe for lemongrass marinated beef, but you could easily substitute the beef for chicken or pork or even tofu if that’s what you prefer. The options here are pretty endless, and maybe next time I’ll do something a bit more creative.
But for now, I just wanted a taste of my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in my kitchen.
Step 1 
Step 2 
Step 3
How to Roll
- Start by dipping the rice paper wrapper directly into a pie plate or tin filled with water. This only takes a few seconds – if you overdo it it makes it a lot more likely to become an awkward sticky mess, so brief is key!
- Wrap low – start by adding your main ingredients to the lower half of the rice paper (see Step 1). I started with the lettuce and kind of filled everything else into the lettuce. This seemed to work really well. I finished it off by stuffing the middle with fresh herbs.
- If you want the little decorative herbs to show on the exterior like I have line up 1 basil leaf sandwiched between 2 mint leaves and place at the top half of your rice paper wrapper. (This is definitely optional if you don’t have the extra herbs, or just don’t want to fuss, but it does make them pretty!).
- Finally, wrap by pulling the base of the rice paper wrapper tightly over the filling. Next, fold in the edges, and roll the whole thing toward the top. You can see how this works in Step 2 and Step 3.
Notes on the Peanut Sauce
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My peanut sauce recipe is lightly adapted from Damn Delicious. It’s simple and easy and most of the ingredients you’ll have on hand, or can easily find at the store. I particular love the addition of Chili Garlic Sauce made by the same brand that makes the classic Sriracha. It’s tangy, garlicky, and not too spicy. And makes the peanut sauce really pop, in my opinion.
Also, the texture. So if you microwave all the ingredients together and notice that everything kind of look like a weird oily mess, don’t worry, this is totally normal. Adding a tablespoon or 2 of warm water will help make the sauce creamy again. Just whisk this in and be prepared to be amazed! Instantly creamy texture!
These Lemongrass Beef Summer Rolls are one of my absolute favorite recipes to come out of the kitchen this summer. I hope you guys give them a try!
Looking for More Vietnamese Inspiration?
Check out my recipes for:
- Vietnamese Chicken Vermicelli Salad (One of The Gourmet Gourmand’s most popular recipes to date!)
- Spatchcocked Lemongrass Chicken
Lemongrass Beef Summer Rolls
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Mandoline or Julienne Peeler (recommended, but not required)
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound Flank Steak
For the Marinade
- 3 tbsp Lemongrass roughly chopped
- 1/2 whole Shallot
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce, low sodium
- 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Rice Wine
- 2 tbsp Brown Sugar packed
For the Assembly
- 12 Rice Paper Wrappers
- 4 oz Rice Vermicelli
- 12 Small Lettuce Leaves (I used Buttercrunch lettuce)
- 1 Under-ripe Mango Skinned and Julienned
- 2 Medium Carrots Peeled and Julienned
- 1 English (or other low-seed) Cucumber Peeled and Julienned
- Generous Bunch Fresh Mint
- Handful Fresh Cilantro
- Handful Fresh Thai Basil
For the Peanut Sauce
- 1/4 cup Crunchy Peanut Butter (Ok to substitute with creamy if you prefer)
- 4 tsp Soy Sauce, low sodium
- 1 tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
- 1-2 tsp Chili Garlic Paste (Or to taste)
- 1 tsp Powdered Ginger
- 2-3 tbsp Water
Instructions
To Prepare the Beef
- Add all marinade ingredients into your food processor with the standard blade attachment. Process until all ingredients are finely chopped. There will be some fibrous lemongrass pieces left and that's fine.
- Prepare the flank steak by butterflying (slicing horizontally to make the meat even thinner and provide more surface area for the marinade to penetrate). Cut into 2-3 pieces just to make it easier for handling.
- Place beef into a ziplock bag or appropriately sized non-reactive dish and pour marinade over the beef. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, and up to 24 hours.
- Preheat grill to high heat (about 500-550 Fahrenheit on a gas grill). Grill meat for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until done to your liking.
- Remove from grill and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes. Slice meat across the grain into about 24 small thin strips. Set aside.
To Prepare the Noodles
- Bring a pot of water to boil on the stove. Add dried rice vermicelli and cook for time indicated on package. Immediately drain into colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
Assembling the Summer Rolls
- Line up all filling ingredients in an assembly line to make wrapping easier. Make sure you also have a clean cutting board available for the actually wrapping of the rolls.
- Fill a glass pie plate with about 1/2 inch of water. Dip one of the rice paper wrappers briefly into the water (5 seconds or so). Remove while it still feels hard (don't worry, it'll quickly soften) and lay out onto your cutting board.
- At one end of the wrapper, add a piece of lettuce, and about 1/12 of all other filling ingredients. Stuff a few fresh herbs (mint, cilantro, and basil) in the middle, to taste.
- To wrap, gently (but tightly) stretch the rice paper around the filling and fold in the edges and roll like you would if you were wrapping a burrito.
- To make the decorative herb garnish, line 3 leaves onto one end of the wrapper before wrapping (see Step 2 visual above for extra guidance).
- Cover summer rolls with damp paper towel if not serving immediately to prevent drying out.
To make the Peanut Sauce
- Combine all peanut sauce ingredients into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for about 30-45 seconds or until warmed. Whisk everything to combine and then whisk in 2-3 tbsp of water until you achieve desired consistency.
Oh my goodness these are so freaking pretty! I could never make them look as pretty as you! Love all of the ingredients, and that sauce!
Awww Mimi you are too kind!
This looks good! So light and refreshing dish
Thanks Raymund!