I love Vietnamese food, and here in Italy is impossible to eat at a Vietnamese restaurant. So if I want to eat Vietnamese, I must make it. Fortunately I can find the ingredients pretty easily. So I pick up a package of celophane rice sheets and an array of vegetables in my shopping bag and head home to whip up my own Vietnamese Spring Rolls.
Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce
1 pound shrimp, deveined and pealed
2 tablespoons Sriracha or Asian garlic chili oil
Rice paper wrappers (buy at Asian market)
Rice noodles (very fine rice noodles or vermicelli, mine came from the Asian market and it’s made with Mung bean and potato starch)
The inner leaves of a head of lettuce (red leaf or butter lettuce is best)
1 carrot shredded
1 cucumber sliced in shreds or matchstick size
1/8 head shredded red cabbage
4 green onions
1/4 chopped peanuts
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup coarsely chopped basil
Peanut Sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
4 tablespoons Sriracha
4 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup water
Cook the rice noodles, (they cook in a very short time so keep an eye on it!) Rinse and cool the noodles
Stir fry the shrimp with the Asian hot sauce or oil until pink. Set aside.
Fill a large skillet with 2″ water, heat on high until before boiling, set to low. Dip each rice paper in hot water and place on a plate smoothing it out. This is the trickiest part and I have to admit I had to throw my first one away because it started to stick to itself and was soon one solid mass! You can use tongs or a fork to maneuver it in and out of the hot water, but keep going, you will soon master it!
Assemble the spring rolls:
Layer the torn lettuce, rice noodles, shredded carrots, cabbage, cilantro, basil and cucumber on the soft rice paper. Then layer with the cooked shrimp, green onions and peanuts. Roll it like a burrito. Serve with a dollop of peanut sauce.
These make great lunches the next day, I recommend layering a container with damp paper towels before placing the Spring Rolls. Then place a layer of damp paper towels between each layer of Spring Rolls. Cover with a lid. The damp paper towels will keep the Spring Rolls from sticking to each other and keep them from drying out.
Try these other great dinner ideas from our Archive:
Babaganush (Middle Eastern Roasted Eggplant Dip) Published July 29, 2017
Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce (Published August 18, 2017)
Saltimbocca (Roman Style Veal Scallopini) (Published February 18, 2018)
Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef Salad (Bun Bo Xoa) Published March 12, 2018)
Spiced Chickpea Salad with Roasted Cauliflower (Published April 22, 2018)
Steamed Mussels and Fettuccine (Cozze e Fettuccine) Published May 4, 2019)
Shrimp Risotto (Risotto alla Gamberi) Published June 2, 2018)
Pasta Carbonara (Published May 12, 2018)
Arancini (Italian Fried Rice Balls) Published June 4, 2018)
Ossobuco alla Milanese (Milan Style Veal Shanks & Saffron Risotto) Published June 20, 2018)
Lasagna Bolognese (Published Aug 3, 2018)
