Sliced watermelon and prosciutto are a scrumptious flavor duo in this Watermelon Prosciutto classic Vietnamese salad roll with a spicy Watermelon Peanut dip! Packed with healthy vermicelli noodles, lettuce, carrot, red cabbage and fresh herbs, this sweet savoury dish makes a great appetizer with a glass of wine, but can also be eaten as a meal or side, but is also right at home packed along in the lunch bag, as part of a healthy balanced lunch.
Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Place rice vermicelli in boiling water, remove from heat, and let soak 3 to 5 minutes, until soft. Drain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
Dampen a kitchen tea towel and lay flat.
Fill a large bowl or shallow pan with hot water. Dip one rice wrapper in the hot water for approximately 10 seconds to soften.
*You want to take it out while you can still lift it out without it tearing. Lay wrapper flat on damp tea towel.
Slice watermelon into thin 'sticks'. * You want to keep them under 3 inches/7.5 cm. Pat dry with paper towel. Set aside. * don't worry is some break apart, just lay them on top and fit them together as best you can.
Place about 2 teaspoon of prosciutto, then 2 tablespoon of salad, 1-2 tablespoon of vermicelli noodles, then 2 teaspoon of each, cilantro, basil and mint on wrapper, just below the middle of the wrapper.
Add about 4-5 sticks of watermelon on top of the filling.
Fold one long side of the wrapper over the middle. Then fold over the next side.
Beginning at the bottom edge of wrapper, wrap tightly upwards.
Keep wrapping tightly wrap to the top. (See video "How to wrap a salad roll" in Notes below)
Place crease side down. Repeat with remaining wrappers until all ingredients are used.
Dipping Sauce
Puree watermelon in food processor or blender (it will be very liquid!)
In a bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, pureed watermelon until combined.
While continuing to whisk, add the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, chili paste and ginger and Italian dressing. Mix well.
Serve salad rolls with dipping sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate if not serving immediately.
Notes
🌡️StoringYou'll want to make these Vietnamese salad rolls as close to serving as possible. However, if you want to do some prep it in advance, I'd recommend you only do so 1 day in advance. Better yet, instead, prep it by cutting up the watermelon and vegetables separately and storing the watermelon in a separate container from the vegetables in the fridge. Pat the watermelon dry with paper towels before assembling the salad rolls.🎥 Video