Foodie purists look away now.

I love bacon.

I looove hamburgers.

I loooooove summer rolls.

I’ve learned a few things since I posted  The secret To Making Vietnamese Spring Rolls. It’s surprising that what some have known pretty much all their life, second nature that is so simple that it’s just a given, can be foreign to others. So a big thanks to all the summer roll pros for the feedback. Now I have learned that drying on a teatowel isn’t required at all for the rice paper and if you just roll it up went it is pliable, it will continue to soften to perfection.

Here in New Zealand, it’s not uncommon to put random ingredients into an exotic dish to make some oddball fusion monster. Think green curry chicken sushi and butter chicken pizzas. Maybe it’s the same in other countries too. I’m totally into it. If it tastes good, I’ll eat it.

So, with a bit of streaky bacon and ground beef in the fridge, I decided to use them to make summer rolls. I had no coriander or mint to use but maybe you will want to experiment with some brighter greens than the Chinese cabbage I had. Basil would be a great addition to these.

Bacon Burger Summer Rolls

Makes 12

Ingredients
3 strips of streaky bacon
2 patties worth of ground beef (about 200grams)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 large carrot, grated
Quarter of a Chinese cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
12 sheets round rice paper
Optional: fresh herbs such as coriander, spring onion, mint or basil.

Preparation

1. Cut each strip of bacon in half. Fry with a tiny bit of oil in a frying pan until done. Turn once. Remove from heat and set aside on a large plate.
2. In a bowl season the ground beef with soy sauce, salt and sesame oil. Mix in  a third of the grated carrot, a third of the sliced  cabbage and all of the breadcrumbs.
3. Divide the mixture into 6 and with wet hands, roll 6 sausage shapes. Heat a little oil in a frying pan. Cook for sausage patties for 10 minutes on a medium-low heat, turning often. Remove from heat and set aside on the large plate.
4. Add the remainder of the cabbage and carrots to the large plate.
   
5. Add water to a dinner plate and immerse a sheet of rice paper for 2 seconds. Lift and drip dry for a few seconds, then lay on a clean chopping board. The rice paper will continue to soften on standing.
6. Aiming for an imaginary horizontal strip in the centre of the sheet, place a piece of bacon or beef, then top with carrot and cabbage and herbs.
7. When the rice paper has softened enough to bend without breaking (about 30 seconds), fold the 2 edges towards the centre, the bottom edge to the centre and roll up.
8. Place on a serving platter.
9. Repeat until you have 12 rolls.
10. Serve with Nuam Cham or experiment with bacon and burger friendly sauce such as a tangy BBQ sauce.

Here’s a simple recipe for the dipping sauce. The measurements are all in the same unit so it’s easy for you to multiply if you decide you want to make this in bulk. I say “you” because my maths is terrible.

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

(Nuoc Cham Sauce)

Makes enough for dipping 12 summer rolls

Ingredients
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons warm water
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 tablespoon lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced

Preparation

1. In a small jar, combine the water and sugar. Screw on the lid and give it a decent shake to dissolve the sugar.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, shake and refrigerate for an hour or more to allow the flavours to develop.
3. Serve in bowls.