Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Rolls

Ingredients, Serves 4:

• 1/2 lb headless shrimp
• 2 oz asian rice vermicelli
• Six  8.5" (22 cm)  rice sheets (you can get at an asian market)
• Leaves of cilantro, mint and Thai basil
• Lettuce Leafs
• Peanut sauce:
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon Shirachi hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• Water to thin sauce

I LOVE Vietnamese shrimp spring rolls! They are fresh and aromatic and health too!  So I decided to make my own and now you can too!  It's super easy and makes a great snack or appetizer.

First you need to cook the shrimp.  Peel and toss into a boiling pot and cook for only about 2 minutes!  Strain and using a thin sharp knife (be careful), place the shrimp flat on a cutting board and slice the shrimp in half horizontally.  Next, you need to prepare the rice vermicelli noodles.  Place the dry noodles in a bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes until they soften up.  Then place them in a pot of boiling water for about 4 minutes.  Strain and set aside in a bowl.

Now comes the fun/challenging part....making the spring rolls themselves.  First, fill a bowl with warm water large enough to submerge the rice sheets.  Submerge a rice sheet for 2 seconds only and then lay it on a cutting board near you.  Place 3-4 shrimp halves down in the middle (left to right) and about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the rice sheet.  Place a piece of lettuce wrap over the shrimp, then layer some cilantro, basil, mint and shredded carrots.  Next, add some vermicelli noodles and then another layer of lettuce wraps.  Finally, add another 3-4 shrimp halves.  You should have what looks like a rectangular log of ingredients on the rice sheet.  Now, carefully fold over both sides so that they cover the ends of the ingredients.  Then carefully fold over the lower edge of the rice sheet over the top of the ingredients and roll the "log" away from you, forming the spring roll.  Do this for the other rice sheets and make as many rolls as you like!

For the peanut sauce, mix the first four ingredients in a small bowl and then slowly add small amounts of water, stirring until incorporated.  Add enough water until you reach the consistency you want for the sauce.  Place the peanuts into a zip lock bag and using the bottom of a pot or a meat tenderizer, crush the peanuts.  Add the crushed peanut on top for presentation.  You can also cut the rolls in half too!  Enjoy watching them disappear fast!

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