Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Today, we welcome one of our ladies, Kim Nguyen, who will teach us how to make Vietnamese spring rolls.  Here is the recipe....

Fresh Spring Rolls

Makes 8 rolls

For the spring rolls:

8 rice wrappers
2 oz. rice vermicelli noodles(cooked according to the package)
12 shrimp, peeled, deveined, cut in half
bean sprouts
avocado
green leaf lettuce
cilantro (or any herb you want – mint, basil)

For the peanut sauce:

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of Hoisin sauce
1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon of sugar dissolved in 1/2 cup of very warm water
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
chopped peanuts for garnish

To make the peanut sauce:

Add all of the ingredients(except for the chopped peanuts) into a food processor and puree until smooth. Taste check and adjust seasoning as needed. Sauce will slightly thicken upon standing. Store any leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge.

To make the spring rolls:

Add your shrimp to some boiling water until cooked through. Put in ice water to stop cooking. Drain and then slice them in half.

Wash all of your herbs and veggies very well, and then dry them in a salad spinner.

Make sure you have all of your fillings, herbs, and veggies in front of you before you begin to assemble.

How to assemble your spring rolls:

Dip your rice paper into some very warm water for about 5 seconds. Place the rice paper on a wooden board. Use your hands to smooth out the rice paper a bit. It will also help soften the rice paper. Take a small piece of lettuce and place it in the middle(make sure you leave at least a 1/2 inch border on the sides to roll up the seams). Add your bean sprouts first, and then follow with your choice of herbs and veggies. Top with a small portion of noodles (less is more). On the next row, add 3 pieces of shrimp (the cut side of the shrimp should be visible to you).

Start rolling the rice paper over the veggies and noodles (getting a tight grip), and right before you roll over the shrimp, fold in the sides of the rice paper, and finally, tightly roll over the shrimp.
Serve immediately with your choice of dipping sauce.

NOTES: Fresh spring rolls do not refrigerate well. The rice paper will become tough and hard, when cold. Make sure you always use very warm water for best results. A wooden board works best for rolling because the wooden board will soak up the water from the rice paper better.