Rolling Toward the Smokies

snacking in the sky

Traveling in the summer is the best. I love exploring new places but the actual act of getting there? Not so much. Last week my wife and I made the trek to Nashville, Tennessee to visit my friend Alex. We had the GREATEST TIME in Nashville, eating everything and enjoying all the local markets. To make the flight there less terrible, I packed up some summer rolls to fill our bellies and give us something to look forward to besides guessing which people would randomly remove their shoes and socks at 35,000 feet.

Air travel always makes our bodies feel like shit so I like fresh but filling foods to snack on mid flight. Summer rolls are a great travel food because they’re basically an herby noodle salad you can eat with your hands. No fork necessary. And yes, I know you’ll have limited refrigeration but just fill up a water bottle with cool water by the gate or buy a $65 bottle at Hudson News and tuck it by the summer rolls to help keep them cool. They be just fine and you’ll be so fucking grateful for them while you watch everyone else stuff salty snacks down as a dinner while your plane sits on the tarmac waiting hours for a gate.

I’ve shown you how to make summer rolls for travel before but these are a whole new flavor profile with tempeh as the protein. They have more of a Mediterranean taste and I like to pair them with this tahini sauce with an extra tablespoon or two of lemon juice.  If you can’t find a good za’atar blend at the store, feel free to sub in dried oregano with a pinch of thyme. To make the rolls extra pretty, sprinkle sesame seeds and some of the chopped herbs down on the rice paper wrapper before the rest of the ingredients so you can see them sitting on top when everything is all rolled up. Show future you some love, they’re flying through the sky watching someone clip their nails in public. They need it.

Sesame Tempeh Summer Rolls

Makes 12-14 rolls depending on the size of your rice paper

Sesame Tempeh

1 tablespoons olive oil

½ a white onion, chopped

One 8 ounce block of tempeh

2 tablespoons Bragg Liquid Aminos, soy sauce, or tamari

1 teaspoon za’atar blend

½ teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons broth or water

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons maple syrup

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Persian cucumbers, cut into matchsticks or half a regular cucumber

1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks

2 cups cooked thin rice noodles

1 ½ cups thinly sliced lettuce like romaine

1 cup chopped fresh herbs like basil, cilantro, mint, dill, and green onions

1 package of rice paper wrappers, round or square*

¼ cup sesame seeds

First you want to make the tempeh so it has time to cool off before you wrap. When you are ready to get this shit going, heat up a large skillet over medium heat with a tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the onion in the pan and mix it up until all the pieces have a little oil on them. Crumble the tempeh into the hot pan, aiming for bite-sized pieces, and mix it in with the onions. Cook the tempeh until parts start to look a little golden brown, about 5 minutes. If it starts looking a little dry in there, add some water a tablespoon at a time.

When all the tempeh is at least golden in several spots, pour over the Braggs, then sprinkle over the za’atar and cumin. Stir to make sure everything gets some spice on it. In a small glass mix together the tomato paste, broth, garlic, and lemon juice. Now drizzle this over the tempeh and let it cook for another minute or two so that most of the moisture can evaporate. Drizzle the maple syrup over the pan with a dash of black pepper, stir, then turn off the heat. Taste and add more salt or whatever you think it needs.

Let the tempeh mix cool for a bit, even overnight. When you’re ready to start rolling, get out all the chopped veggies, noodles, and herbs and let’s get to it.

To make the rolls: Now the fancy shit. In a large skillet warm about 3 inches of water. You want the water hot but not so goddamn hot you can’t put your hand in it. Once you’ve reached a comfortable warm temperature, turn off the heat. Place one summer roll wrapper in the water for 10-15 seconds until it becomes all bendy like a noodle. Let the extra water drip off and lay that translucent baby down on a plate.  Sprinkle over some sesame seeds and a few of the chopped herbs onto the summer roll wrapper if you want to make this shit cute. Lay down a small handful of the noodles, lettuce, veggies, herbs, and a couple spoonfuls of the tempeh mix down the middle of the wrapper. Now you’re gonna fold in the shorter edges and then roll the whole thing up like a little burrito. Continue rolling and press the end flap gently against the roll. If you can make a wrap or burrito then you already have this shit on lock. Keep making rolls until you run out of filling. Finished rolls will keep in the fridge for about 2 days.

* They look like a stack of chalky colored, paper frisbee things. They are usually near the soy sauce at the store. They are cheap as fuck so don’t stress.

Sesame Tempeh Summer Rolls

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Thanks for joining us here in The Broiler Room. Any fun travel in your future? Let us know in the comments and we might have some food recommendations for you!