9large cooked Shrimp (cooked with Shells on then peeled) sliced in half
60g/ 2 oz dried Rice Noodles
Red and Green Oak Lettuce Leaves (the “Baby” leaves are preferable)
Halfa Cucumber, cut into thin strips (6-8 cm long)
1small Carrot, cut into very thin strips or julienned (6-8 cm long)
AIOLI Sauce
18large Fresh Basil Leaves
18large Fresh Mint Leaves
Peanut Dipping Sauce
2tbspcrunchy Peanut Butter (or smooth)
2tbspHoisin Sauce
2Garlic Cloves, minced
2tbspLime Juice (or White Vinegar)
1tspSriracha Chili Sauce
1/3cup/ 80 ml Sweet Whole Milk
Instructions
In a saucepan on medium-high heat, bring the water to boil. Add the Shrimp (with shells on) and cook for 5-6 minutes on medium heat. When nicely pink, quickly put the Shrimp in cold water to stop the cooking. When cool, remove the shells and slice the shrimp in half lengthwise (watch the video). Set aside.
In the same saucepan on high heat, bring the water to boil and add in the Rice Noodles. Reduce heat to medium for about 5 minutes or until noodles are softened. Rinse the noodles in cold water and drain. Use a knife or kitchen scissors to cut them in smaller pieces. Set aside.
Cut the Cucumber and Carrots into thin strips that are about 6-8 cm long. Set aside.
Prepare the Peanut Dipping Sauce. In a large bowl, combine crunchy Peanut Butter, Hoisin Sauce, minced Garlic Cloves, Lime Juice, Milk, and Sriracha Chili Sauce. Use a fork to help mix all the ingredients until smooth. Set aside.
Fill a large bowl or pan with room temperature water. Use a bowl or pan that is large enough to fit the whole rice paper.
Prepare your countertop or a large cutting board by spreading some water on the surface to keep it wet. Take one piece of Rice Paper and dip it into the bowl/pan of water on both sides for a few seconds. Then place the rice paper on the cutting board.
On the bottom third of the rice paper, place two green baby Oak Lettuce leaves in a line, topped by two red Oak Lettuce leaves. Put a small little-finger size of Rice Noodles in a line atop the Lettuce. Run some AIOLI Sauce along the top of the noodles.
In the middle third of the rice paper, place 2 or 3 Cucumber strips along with 2 or 3 Carrot strips.
On the upper third of the rice paper, make of row of 3 Shrimp halves with the pink side down. Place 2 or 3 Mint Leaves and Basil Leaves bright side down in between the Shrimp. You will have three lines of ingredients on the paper.
Rolling! Start by folding the left and right edges of the rice paper to form straight sides. Then, from the bottom, pull the paper up slowly to cover the Lettuce and Noodles.
Roll again to bring in the Cucumber and Carrots. Be gentle but firm!
Roll again to fold in the Shrimp, Mint and Basil Leaves. Roll half a turn to see the pretty side up. You did it!
Repeat the procedure for all the Spring Rolls. (For clearer instruction, watch the video. A picture is worth a thousand words in this case!).
Serve with the Peanut Dipping Sauce.
Video
Notes
To see exactly how I fold the Spring Rolls, please watch the clear video instruction.
Never overload the rice paper with too many ingredients. Less is more!
If you think one piece of rice paper is too easy to break, you can use two rice papers per roll. Rice paper comes in varying thicknesses, but all of them work just fine.
For the peanut dipping sauce, you can substitute Lime Juice with White Vinegar.
Making a gorgeous Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Roll takes some practice, but this #1Easy method I show will speed you along to expert level.