Juicy chicken and fresh vegetables wrapped in rice paper with a Szechuan style spicy dipping sauce! The chili oil, sauce, and poached chicken can be made in advance and stored in the fridge, but the summer rolls are best served on the day they're made.
1½tablespoonschili flakes(about 8 dried chili peppers)
1teaspoonground Szechuan pepper
½teaspoonsea salt
½ cup(120ml)oil(neutral oil - I like grapeseed or regular olive oil)
3slicesginger
5cloves of garlic, sliced
1star anise
1cinnamon stick
Sauce
3tablespoonssoy sauce
1½tablespoonsblack vinegar(rice wine vinegar would work as well)
½tablespoonssweetener of choice(sugar, honey, whatever you have)
4cloves of garlic, grated
3tablespoonsstock made from poaching the chicken
¼ cup(60ml)chili oil
Summer rolls
10rice paper wrappers
10leaves of lettuce, torn
1large cucumber, sliced vertically(use a vegetable peeler or mandoline)
Instructions
Poached chicken
Put the chicken, scallions, and salt in a pot. Add enough water to cover the ingredients by at least 2 inches (5cm) and heat over medium heat. Once it reaches a boil, cook for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave it until the chicken is completely cooled.
Once cooled, slice the chicken about a quarter of an inch thickness (64cm).
Chili oil
In a small bowl, add the peanuts, sesame seeds, chili flakes, Szechuan pepper, salt, and set aside.
In a pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon stick, and cook until the ginger looks wilted and everything is fragrant. Carefully pour the oil into the small bowl and set aside to infuse while preparing the rest of the dish.
Sauce
In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, black vinegar, sweetener, grated garlic, and stock. Stir in the chili oil 1 tablespoon at a time, tasting the sauce after each addition.
Assembly (refer to photos in the post!)
Put water in a large bowl or plate. Working with one at a time, dip the rice paper wrapper into the water. Take it out and place it on your work surface.
Lay 3 to 4 slices of cucumber on the rice paper. Place the chicken on the cucumber, around the upper ⅓ of the rice paper. Then place some lettuce on the bottom ⅓ of the rice paper.
Gently pull up the bottom of the rice paper (the side with the lettuce) and start rolling towards the chicken. Fold the sides in, and continue to roll. Place on a plate and repeat.