Was your New Year’s resolution to eat more veggies in this year? Are you six months into 2019 and need some recipe inspiration to get back on track? Well chef Jan Hansen, Culinary Instructor at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), has a flavour-packed way to help ensure you get in your daily dose of veggies; fire up the grill for some Alberta pork loin for his Asian pork summer salad rolls and highly addictive peanut satay and nuoc mam cham sauces.

Salad rolls are as fun to make as they are to eat. You can prep the ingredients in advance, and get your friends and family to help make the rolls. It gives the opportunity for each guest to personalize their roll. Chef Hansen‘s Asian pork summer salad rolls are a great addition to any potluck you have this summer – salad never tasted so good.

Asian Pork Summer Salad Rolls
Recipe courtesy of chef Jan Hansen

Prepare in advance:

Julienne carrot (1 or 2)
Wedges of mini cucumber
Rice noodles – prepare according to package
Mint, basil and cilantro leaves
Red leaf lettuce
500 g Pork loin, cooked and sliced (as described below)
Prepare nuoc cham
Prepare satay sauce
Rice paper wrappers (square or round)

Prepare pork

Ingredients:
2 cm piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced, then chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 small red Asian shallots
50g(1/4 cup) brown sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
3 kaffir lime leaves

Instructions:

Prepare marinade and mix with pork and let sit 1 hour. Barbecue pork over med-high heat until cooked through. Cut into thin slices.  Set aside. 

Vietnamese dressing (nuoc mam cham)

Ingredients:

60 ml(¼ cup) fish sauce
60 ml(¼ cup) rice vinegar
2 tbsp white sugar
125 ml(½ cup) water
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1red birdseye chilli, finely chopped
2 tbsp lime juice

Makes 1 cup

Instructions:

To make the dressing, place fish sauce, vinegar, sugar and water in a pan over medium heat and stir to combine. Bring mixture to just below boiling point, then set aside to cool. Add garlic, chilli and lime juice, and stir to combine. Set into small bowl for dipping.

Satay Peanut sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil
1 garlic cloves, crushed
½ small shallot, finely chopped
1 small red chillies, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (140g) smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup (250ml) light coconut milk
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup (40g) unsalted roasted peanuts, crushed
Juice of 1 lime

Instructions:

Whisk everything together in a bowl until smooth. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of warm water or until you reach desired thinness. Pour into a serving bowl/ramekin and top with garnish. Set aside.

To make the salad rolls: 

Prepare the rice paper wrappers: Pour warm water into a large bowl or 9-inch square or round baking pan. Working with one at a time, dip the rice paper wrapper into the warm water for 10-15 seconds (or whatever the package suggests). Immediately remove from the water and place flat onto a work surface.  Pat the wrapper slightly dry.

Fill the rolls: Place a few pieces of carrot, cucumber, and lettuce on top of the bottom 1/3 of the rice paper. Add a small amount of noodles, pork, and a bit of cilantro, mint and basil. Do not overstuff the roll. Start small then add more, as needed, as you roll each one.

Roll them: Roll everything up tightly. To do so, gently pull up the bottom of the roll and roll over the filling. Once filling is covered by the rice paper, fold in the sides of the rice paper (like a gift) then, roll and use your hands to tuck the filling in as you go. It’s basically like you’re rolling a burrito! Remember, you want a very tight roll. If your rice paper rips, keep going and roll another one over top (once pliable).

Cut and Serve: After rolling each, cut in half on the bias (to expose the garnish), and place on a serving plate. Serve with sate sauce and nuoc cham.  Enjoy!