Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls

These are fun to make and taste delicious!  My friend Kim introduced me to these when she brought them to a dinner party.  Needless to say, they were the hit of the party and I have made them several times since.  The recipe comes from one of my favourite cookbook authors, Julie Van Rosendaal and if you have not seen her book Grazing:  Portable snacks and finger foods for anytime, anywhere, I would encourage you to get your hands on a copy.   

 Ingredients

15 rice paper wrappers

Filling

100g (3 1/2 oz.) thin rice vermicelli noodles (about a handful)

1 Tb. rice vinegar

1 large carrot, peeled and shredded

15 cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cucumber, peeled if necessary and cut into thin sticks

small handful fresh cilantro, mint or thai basil leaves, torn up or left whole

1/2 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

Keep in mind that most of the ingredients are optional, so make changes according to what you like to eat.  Julie suggests adding red pepper, pea pods, lettuce, crab, blanched asparagus, bean sprouts, chives, jicama and mango.

These taste great with an easy to make peanut sauce, which I make in my magic bullet.  See below for the ingredients.

To prepare the filling, place noodles in a bowl of boiling water and let stand for about 3 minutes (or as package directs) to soften.  Drain well and place in a medium bowl. 

A carrot and 1 Tb. rice vinegar and toss to combine. 

 Cut the shrimp lengthwise in half (optional - I skip this step) 

 This is what the rice paper roll looks like

 To assemble the rolls, fill a shallow dish (I use a pie plate) with hot water and lay a clean tea towel over your work surface.  Soak one rice paper round at a time in the water for about 10 seconds, until it's pliable, and lay it on the tea towel.  Pat the surface with the edges of the towel to absorb any excess water.

 Place two shrimp halves, a stick of cucumber and some noodles down the middle of the round.  Sprinkle with cilantro and peanuts (if using).

 Fold over one long side to cover, then fold up both ends.  Roll the whole thing up as tightly as you can without tearing the wrapper.

Peanut Sauce:  Combine in a blender or magic bullet:  2-4 Tb. chicken or veggie broth or water, 3 Tb. light peanut butter, 3 Tb. soy sauce, 2 Tb. brown sugar or honey, 2 Tb. rice vinegar or lime juice, 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed, 1-2 tsp grated fresh ginger, 1 tsp. sesame oil (optional), 1/4-1/2 tsp cury paste (optional)

 Serve with peanut sauce or another dipping sauce. (I like this sauce so much, I like to have my own bowl so I can dip as often as I like.  My suggestion is to use mini bowls so your guests can have their own).