Senegalese Summer Rolls with Peanut Ginger Sauce

Ingredients:
3/4 cup        unsweetened smooth peanut butter
  1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (peeled)
  2 tablespoon water
  3 tablespoon honey
  1 tablespoon lime juice
3/4 cup        soy sauce
  1 teaspoon   vietnamese or thai fish sauce
  1 teaspoon   tamarind paste
  1 clove      garlic (minced)
1/2 teaspoon   toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon   cayenne pepper
  2 unit       Japanese eggplants (medium)
    unit       Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing
 16 unit       round rice paper wrappers (8½-inch)
  1 bunch      mint (leaves only)
  1 bunch      cilantro (leaves only)
  1 unit       ripe mango (peeled and cut into ¼-by-2-inch pieces)
  1 unit       kirby cucumber (peeled and cut into ¼-by-2-inch pieces)
  3 gallon     green onions (cut lengthwise into 2-inch pieces)
  1 unit       carrot (peeled, coarsely grated)
  1 unit       head boston lettuce leaves

Instructions:
Preheat grill or a grill pan to hot.

1. Prepare peanut sauce: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix
well. If you’d like a slightly thinner sauce, add a few more tablespoons
water.

2. Prepare rolls:Trim eggplant and cut it lengthwise into ½-inch-thick
slices. Brush both sides of eggplant slices with the olive oil and grill
until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Let cool. Cut eggplant
into ½-by 2-inch pieces.

3. Place a clean, damp kitchen towel on a plate or cutting board. Fill a
wide bowl with warm water (the bowl should be large enough to dip the
wrappers in).

4. Immerse a wrapper in the warm water 5 to 10 seconds, until wrapper is
pliable. Carefully lay it flat on the towel. In center of wrapper, place,
in turn, a few leaves each of the mint, basil and cilantro. Add a few
pieces each of the mango, grilled eggplant, cucumber and green onion and a
large pinch of grated carrot. Be careful not to overfill the wrapper.

5. To roll up wrapper, fold in left and right sides over the filling. Take
edge closest to you and tightly roll away from you, from bottom to top,
like a cigar. Set roll seam side down on a platter or baking sheet and
cover with plastic wrap as you repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

6. Serve immediately with lettuce leaves and peanut sauce on the side. To
eat, wrap a lettuce leaf around a summer roll and dip in the peanut sauce.


Description:
This recipe is obviously inspired by the classic Vietnamese summer roll, writes Pierre Thiam in his book, "Senegal." Senegal saw a wave of Vietnamese immigrants around the time of the First Indochina War while Vietnam and Senegal were both still under French colonial rule. Nems, our take on fried Vietnamese spring rolls, are a beloved staple on many Senegalese menus.

Here is a vegetarian option with grilled eggplant, mango, carrot and lots of fresh herbs.

Be sure to have all your ingredients ready before you start rolling. If you make these ahead of time, store them on a damp towel in a covered container. Don't let the rolls touch each other or else they'll stick together.

Senegal: Modern Senegalese Recipes from the Source to the Bowl. Order now  (US Only)


Notes:
Makes 16 rolls
Ingredients above
Peanut ginger sauce: starts with
¾ cup unsweetened smooth peanut butter

Rolls: starts with
2 medium Japanese eggplants

Reprinted from Senegal: Modern Senegalese Recipes from the Source to the Bowl by Pierre Thiam with Jennifer Sit (Lake Isle Press, 2015). © Pierre Thiam
Senegal: Modern Senegalese Recipes from the Source to the Bowl published 2015 and Yolele!  Recipes From the Heart of Senegal both by Pierre Thiam.