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Spring Roll-Vietnamese

Photo from Wikipedia by Phuongnhu.
Photo from Wikipedia by Phuongnhu.

This is an adaption of several recipes for Vietnamese Spring Rolls. This is the “summer roll” version and is best served cold and very fresh with different dipping sauces (I am providing four). There are also fried versions, but I prefer them like this served with butter or other lettuce leaves. This recipe includes a lettuce leaf in the roll, but you may also include extra leaves to help you hold them as another “wrap.” They can be made vegan with marinated tofu, but the Vietnamese cooks combine shrimp and pork in the best possible way as shown here. If you can’t find or don’t have hoisin sauce, just combine honey or maple syrup, rice vinegar, and soy sauce to your taste. The rice paper wraps can be purchased on Amazon for or found at most Asian markets.

There are vegan fish sauces that use kelp and mushrooms instead of anchovies, but soy sauce will work. Cut in half to serve as an appetizer, but leave whole as a meal and make with what you have on hand: A protein like halved shrimp; sliced tofu, chicken, pork, or fish; or sliced mushrooms marinated or “cooked” in lemon juice (or fried). Add soft, bite-sized vegetables and avocado, mango or rice noodles and of course your favorite fresh herbs and maybe sprouts. The combinations are endless.

Ingredients for four rolls

4 (8-inch) round rice paper wrappers

6 medium shrimp or 10 small, peeled and deveined or tofu slices or other seafood or chicken or pork or mushrooms marinated in lemon juice

2 ounces thin rice vermicelli noodles (optional)

1 small Persian or mini seedless cucumbers, matchsticks

4 butter or Boston lettuce leaves (optional)

1/3 large carrot and or red bell pepper, matchsticks

1/3 packed cups mixed fresh herb leaves, such as cilantro, mint, basil (Thai, holy, or lemon, but not Italian), shiso (perilla) and/or dill

Avocado or mango, thinly sliced-instead of rice noodles

Thin shreds of red or green cabbage

grated or minced fresh ginger (optional)

Sour crisp thin apple slices (optionsl)

Nuoc Cham Sauce:
6 Tbsp Lime juice (may be part rice vinegar)
3 Tbsp Asian fish sauce (soy sauce and kelp may be used for vegetarian option)
1/4 cup sugar or maple syrup
1/2 cup warm water
1 garlic clove, forced through a garlic press or more (optional)
2 small thin fresh red or green Asian chilies (1 to 2 inches long) or serrano chilies, seeded and chopped fine (wear rubber gloves)
1 finely sliced green onion

Peanut Sauce
2 Tbsp avocado oil
4 cloves garlic minced
5 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp smooth or chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup water
1 tsp gochujang or chili flakes to taste (optional)

Gochujang Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp or more gochujang paste or use Korean chili flakes to taste

Apricot Sauce:
½ cup low-sugar apricot jam
4 Tbsp rice vinegar
½-1 tsp red pepper flakes or gochujang
½ tsp peeled and grated ginger

Chopped peanuts and lemon or lime wedges may be added as garnish or to augment any of the sauces.

Directions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and make an ice bath by filling a bowl with ice and cold water. When the water is boiling, turn off the heat, add the shrimp and cook until pink and opaque throughout, about 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to the ice bath.

Add the noodles, if using, to the hot water and let sit, with the heat off, until tender, 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the brand. While the noodles are soaking, halve the cucumbers crosswise, quarter lengthwise, then thinly slice into thin matchsticks. Remove the ribs from the lettuce leaves. Make into carrot and any other vegetables into matchsticks or thin slices.

When the shrimp are cool enough to handle, pat dry; reserve the water bath. When the noodles are ready, drain and transfer them to the ice bath to cool. Place a shrimp on a cutting board on its side and press down. Slice the shrimp in half lengthwise from head to tail and remove the black vein. Set aside and repeat with remaining shrimp. Prepare any other protein in thin slices. If using raw mushrooms they need to be marinated in lemon juice or rice vinegar.

When ready to assemble, drain and shake dry the noodles. Fill a large, deep dish or pie plate with a couple inches of warm water and gather all your ingredients at your work surface.

Working one at a time, submerge a rice paper wrapper in the warm water for 3 seconds; the wrapper will still be firm. Transfer to a work surface (avoid wood, which can dry out the wrapper) like a damp clean dishtowel. Pretend the wrapper is a clock face: fold the lettuce in half and place between 4 and 8 o’clock, leaving a 1-inch border on both sides. Top the lettuce with about 2 tablespoons of herbs, 1 tablespoon carrots, 2-4 pieces of cucumber, 2-4 pieces avocado/mango or about 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) of noodles. Press the filling down to flatten. Grab the wrapper at 6 o’clock and pull it snugly over the filling. Roll tightly away from you once so the lettuce is facing up. As you roll, use your fingers to tuck the filling under the wrapper.

Fold in the short sides (3 and 9 o’clock) over the filling and press to seal (if this is proving difficult, you can leave one or both sides open). Place 3-5 slices of shrimp cut sides up on the wrapper between the fillings and top of the wrapper (12 o’clock). Continue rolling tightly until sealed. Transfer to a platter and repeat with the remaining wrappers, spacing the finished rolls apart so they don’t touch. When your water is cool, replace it with more warm water as needed. If you need help in visualizing how to assemble the spring rolls, you will find many YouTube or google videos to help. This is not so much a recipe as a road map to enable you to combine many kinds of spring rolls.

Serve with any or all of the sauces for dipping. Provide small dishes or bowls for each serving for dipping sauces.

Nuoc Cham Sauce: Stir the sugar and warm water together in a bowl until the sugar dissolves completely; add the fish sauce, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, Thai chile peppers, and green onion to the mixture.

Peanut Sauce: Heat pan on medium heat, then add oil and garlic. Saute until lightly browned. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix.

Gochujang Sauce: Mix Korean gochujang with mayonnaise.

Apricot Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients; set aside.

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