I fell in love with Mimi Cheng’s bright and charming shop in the East Village and their focus on farm fresh, organic veggies, and pasture-raised eggs.  Hannah and Marian, the amazing sisters behind the shop, keep it real with their simple menu of dumplings and their focus on farm-to-table ingredients. The secret recipes are passed down from their mom, Mimi Cheng, who always made sure their refrigerators were stockpiled full of fresh dumplings. I knew this was definitely not your average dumpling shop and thought they might have from gluten-free tricks up their sleeves.. So, this gluten-free creation isn’t quite a dumpling, but these delicious, healthy + flavorful summer rolls satisfy that same craving and are equally addictive – especially when served with an even more addictive spicy dipping sauce! Once we got the hang of making these, they quickly made it into our weekday lunch rotation (we’ve each already made them a half dozen times). Thank you Hannah and Marian for sharing the recipe! makes 10 – 12 summer rolls

mimi cheng’s summer rolls with spicy almond sauce
mimi cheng’s summer rolls with spicy almond sauce
Ingredients

For the Summer Rolls

  • ½ small head of red cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 2 leeks, (white and light green parts only), halved and thinly sliced, then well washed
  • 1 jalapeño, sliced in half lengthwise
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 pasture-raised eggs
  • Cilantro or mint
  • 1 package rice wrappers (I like these brown rice wrappers since they are bigger and a bit easier to roll – you’ll have leftovers)

For the Spicy Almond Sauce

  • 1/2 cup chunky almond butter (or peanut butter)
  • 1 tablespoon low-sodium tamari
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha
  • 1 clove garlic, finely minced (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1/4 cup warm water
Method

For the Summer Rolls

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss the cabbage, leeks, and jalapeño with the coconut oil, rice vinegar, salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 – 25 minutes or until the cabbage starts to get golden and crispy. Remove from the oven. Remove seeds from jalapeño and cut into small dice.

Meanwhile, beat the 3 eggs and heat a lightly oiled large skillet over high heat. Pour the eggs into the pan and cook for a couple of minutes until golden brown. Flip and cook until golden brown on other side. Slice the egg pancake into long, thin strips.

Fill a large pan with very warm water. Dip one rice wrapper into the water for a second to soften. Lay wrapper flat on a plate or kitchen towel. Place a handful of the cabbage, leek, jalapeño mixture in the wrapper. Top with a few slices of the egg pancake and some cilantro or mint. Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper (as if you were rolling a burrito). Repeat with remaining ingredients.

For the Spicy Almond Sauce

Whisk ingredients together until well combined.

Note: if you are not eating immediately, brush the spring rolls with a little bit of oil so they do not dry out. Also, to make a mess free lunch for the office drizzle a little bit of the sauce into each roll before rolling up.