Preparing lunch or dinner ideas that are fresh can be difficult. It seems that the go-to is always salad. While there are many variations, toppings, and dressings that you can use to make your salad different, it is still a salad. If you are wanting something delicious and fresh that is not a salad, then you may want to make these scrumptious Vietnamese spring rolls. Perfect to pair with a bowl of pho or cơm tay cầm, these spring rolls help complement your dinner; but if you need something easy to carry for lunch, then these Vietnamese spring rolls are a great lunch idea.
Ingredients for the Spring Rolls
- 2 ounces of rice vermicelli
- 8 rice wrappers
- For the best results, the rice wrappers should be 8.5 inches in diameter
- 8 large cooked shrimp
- You will want the shrimp peeled, deveined, and cut in half
- 2 chopped leaves of lettuce
- 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh mint leaves
- 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 ⅓ tablespoons of chopped fresh Thai basil
Ingredients for the Fish Sauce Mixture
- ¼ cup of water
- 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
-
2 tablespoons of white sugar
- 4 teaspoons of fish sauce
- 1 clove of minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon of garlic chili sauce
Ingredients for the Hoisin Sauce Mixture
- 3 tablespoons of hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon of finely chopped peanuts
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How to Make the Vietnamese Spring Rolls
To get these spring rolls started, you need to fill a rather large pot with water. Sparingly add salt to the water and bring it to a boil. You will add the vermicelli pasta, give it a stir, and return the pot to a boil. Allow the pasta to cook uncovered as you stir occasionally. The pasta will be ready in 3 to 5 minutes when it is al dente. Once the noodles are done cooking, drain them and set aside.
Next, you will fill a large bowl with warm water. For best results, the bowl needs to be wide enough to place the rice wrappers in without having to bend them. You will dip a wrapper in the warm water for just second to soften the wrapper. Lay the wrapper flat on a cutting board or clean surface. You will set two cooked shrimp halves in a row in the center of the wrapper. You will add some of the vermicelli noodles as well as some of the lettuce, mint leaves, cilantro, and basil.
Make sure that you do not overfill. There needs to be about 2 inches empty uncovered on both sides. You will fold these sides towards the center. Next, you will roll the wrapper tightly. While these Vietnamese spring rolls are pretty delicious on their own, they are taken to the next level with the pairing of these fish sauce and hoisin sauce mixtures. For the fish sauce mixture, you will mix in a small bowl the fish sauce with the water, lime juice, sugar, garlic, and chili sauce. The hoisin sauce mixture is perfect blend of hoisin sauce and peanuts in another small bowl.
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