Vietnamese Spring Rolls
MEDIUM 45 MINUTES
• 7-14 8.5” round rice paper
• 11 medium cooked shrimps
• 1½ oz dried rice noodles
• 7 lettuce leaves (use lettuce with soft leaves)
• 14 mint leaves
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 2 tbsp shredded carrots
• Other optional filling ideas: Cucumber, thinly sliced tofu, shredded chicken, grilled pork
• 1 tbsp peanut butter (preferably smooth, crunchy is OK too)
• 2 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
• 1½ tbsp white vinegar (or lime juice)
• ⅓ cup milk or water
• 1 garlic clove (minced)
• ½ tsp crushed chili or chili paste
TIP
You can make spring rolls up to 6 hours (max 8) ahead, tightly wrap each one in cling wrap as soon as you make them and refrigerate. Don't just put them on a plate and put cling wrap on a plate, wrap each one individually to prevent drying up.
1 Combine the Peanut Dipping Sauce ingredients. Mix briefly, then microwave for 30 seconds. Mix again until smooth. Set aside to cool. Add more vinegar for more sour taste. Thickness can be adjusted with milk or water.
2 Place rice noodles in a bowl, soak with warm water for 10 minutes. Cook in a pot of hot water for 1 minute or until it’s just cooked. Then rinse the noodles in cold water. Drain water and set aside for later use.
3 Peel shrimps, slice in half lengthwise and devein.
4 Wash lettuce leaves and remove the crunchy part.
5 Place some rice noodles, carrots and bean sprouts in a lettuce leaf, then roll it up, finishing seam side down. Repeat.
6 Fill a large bowl with warm water. Submerge 1 rice paper into the water for 2 seconds (if using two rice papers, submerge both of them at the same time together). Note -- the smooth side is supposed to be the outside of the spring roll. If the bowl isn’t large enough to fit the whole rice paper in one time, just rotate it and count 2 seconds for each section you submerge into the water.
7 Place rice paper on a board or a plate with the smooth side down.
8 On the top side of the rice paper, place 3 shrimps with a mint leaf in between.
9 Place the lettuce bundle with the seam side down onto the middle of the rice paper.
10 Fold the left and right edges of the rice paper in, then starting from the bottom, roll up to cover the lettuce bundle. Then keep rolling firmly. The rice paper is sticky, it will seal itself.
11 The spring rolls should look pretty with the shrimps and mint leaves on the smooth side of the roll and the seam side on the underside of the roll.
12 Serve immediately with the peanut dipping sauce.