Cooking Lesson #75— Saigon Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls

Saigon Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls

How you doin’? As the weather continues to heat up, I am always looking for “cool” foods that don’t require much cooking. I grew up on Asian foods (I probably learned to eat with chopsticks before a knife and). My Saigon Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls recipe is a great Asian dish with training wheels that doesn’t require a lot of skill… just a little practice and patience to learn how to roll the rolls correctly, tight and neat.
 
You may need to buy a few specialty Asian products from your local Vietnamese market, but most of the ingredients can easily be found locally. Make sure that you have all your ingredients prepped, sliced and cooked beforehand though as this will make assembling these fresh spring rolls more efficient.
 
The dipping sauces adds the custom flavors. You should be able to find most in large supermarkets with an Asian section or a local Vietnamese market. The unique flavors are derived from palm sugar, lime juice and the hot sauce.
 
I think you’ll find Saigon Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls are a light and refreshing change from the Chinese fried variety. Use them as a summertime appetizer or a light lunch. The delicious sauces make a difference.
 
Prep time:  45 minutes
Cook time:  5 minutes
Yield:  8 larger spring rolls
 
Ingredients
For the sauces
4 teaspoons Vietnamese fish sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons palm sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic-chili sauce
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon finely chopped peanuts
 
For the spring rolls
2 ounces Asian rice vermicelli (dry weight)
8 large rice wrappers (8-1/2-inch diameter)
8 large cooked shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut in half
1-1/3 tablespoons chopped fresh Thai basil (different from Italian basil)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 leaves lettuce, chopped
 
Directions
To make the sauces

1. In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili sauce.
2. In second small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce and chopped peanuts.

 
To make the spring rolls

1. Plan ahead and portion all the ingredients so you have enough of each to make 8 spring rolls.
2. Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Boil rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes, or until al dente, and drain.
3. Fill a large bowl with hot water. Dip one wrapper into the hot water for a couple of seconds—just long enough to soften.
4. Lay one softened wrapper flat on a clean cutting board.
5. Place 2 shrimp halves, a handful of vermicelli, basil, mint, cilantro and lettuce in the center of the wrapper, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on each side.
6. Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end with the lettuce.
7. Dip another wrapper to soften and repeat with remaining ingredients. Continue until all rolls are made.
8. Serve the rolled spring rolls with side of the fish sauce and hoisin sauce mixtures.

ChefSecret:  For best results, boil the prawns shell on to keep them straight and thin. The fish sauce, rice vermicelli, chili garlic sauce, hoisin sauce, and rice wrappers can be found at Asian food markets.
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