Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Vietnamese Spring Rolls
These are amazing! I get cravings for them with the nice tangy fish sauce. They are a complete meal in themselves and very good for you, nice and light. This recipes makes a lot, about 24 rolls. They keep for a couple of days, bring a couple to work in a ziplock, yum.
Sometime I make half one day and the rest the next and just leave the ingredients in the bowls stacked in the fridge. 

The other very exciting thing about these is that you can use your imagination and make any variety of things to put in them! 

Of course you can cut this recipe down but I always like to have people over when I make these.
3 handfuls of rice vermicelli, cook for a few minutes, drain, rinse and set aside.

Set aside 7 soup Bowls to assemble all your ingredients for the filling.

• bag of shrimp, you want 3 for each roll, if the shrimp are big use two and if they are really big then split in halve
  
• 1/4  cup basel or regular basil Cut in thin shreds
  
• 1/4 cup fresh mint will do and cut it in thin shreds.
  
• 1/2 cup Cilantro (the seed from this is called coriander) cut finely, 
  
• Put the cilantro, basel and mint and mix together in one bowl. You will use about a tsp for each roll.
  
• 3/4 cup peanuts, I put them in a ziplock and beat it will the rolling pin and that chops them up nicely.
  
• 2 or 3 shredded carrots
  
• head of romaine, cut in thin shreds. You can use other lettuce but romaine holds up well if you dont eat them right away.
  
• If you like you can finely cut up some red pepper as well as cucumber
  

Now for the rice wrappers.....fill a pan with hot water on the stove....cause you need to heat up the hot water once in a while as it cools down.
Dip a wrapper in the water for a few seconds and place on the counter with all your bowls lined up in front of you. Place the shrimp down the center of the wrapper leaving about 2" on either end, place about 1 tbsp vermicelli on top and then put about a tsp each of all the other ingredients, romaine (a little more of the romaine), 
Fold over the two ends then bring up one side of the wrapper up over your filling and gently roll it up firmly and set aside. If it is two sticky you can have a bowl of water handy to wipe them down with. These are ready to eat once you have made the fish sauce. 

Tangy Fish Sauce

• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice, about four limes. If you get a deal on these buy lots, juice them and freeze the juice ready for the next time you need some.
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 6 crushed cloves of garlic
• 1/2 tsp chopped chilies, I like to use a 1/2 tsp of Sambal Oelek (a  chili paste.)
• 1/2 cup of fish sauce, (it's very salty) don't buy the fish sauce that has garlic and chilies in it, you want to get the plain amber coloured liquid.

Mix all of this together, when I serve a roll I use about a tbsp for each roll in a tiny bowl that you can tip it into.

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These are amazing! I get cravings for them with the nice tangy fish sauce. They are a complete meal in themselves and very good for you, nice and light. This recipes makes a lot, about 24 rolls. They keep for a couple of days, bring a couple to work in a ziplock, yum

Of course you can cut this recipe down but I always like to have people over when I make these.

The other very exciting thing about these is that you can use your imagination and make any variety of things to put in them! 

3 handfuls of rice vermicelli, cook for a few minutes, drain, rinse and set aside.

Set aside 7 soup Bowls to assemble all your ingredients for the filling.

1. bag of shrimp, you want 3 for each roll, if the shrimp are big use two and if they are really big then split in halve
2. Bunch (referring to the clump they sell you) of Thai basel or regular basil will do. Cut in thin shreds
3. Bunch of cilantro (the seed from this is called coriander) cut finely
4. about a half cup or more of peanuts, I put them in a ziplock and beat it will the rolling pin and that chops them up nicely.
5. 2 shredded carrots
6. head of romaine, cut in thin shreds. You can use other lettuce but romaine holds up well if you dont eat them right away.
7. Bunch of mint, any fresh mint will do and cut in thin shreds.

Now for the rice wrappers.....fill a pan with hot water on the stove....cause you need to heat up the water once in a while as it cools down.
Dip a wrapper in the water for a few seconds and place on the counter with all your bowls lined up in front of you. Place the shrimp down the center of the wrapper leaving about 2" on either end, place about2-3 tbsp vermicelli on top and then in roughly equal parts place all the other ingredients, basil, cilantro, mint, romaine (a little more of the romaine), carrots and peanuts.
Fold over the two ends then bring up one side of the wrapper up over your filling and gently roll it up firmly and set aside. If it is two sticky you can have a bowl of water handy to wipe them down with. These are ready to eat once you have made the fish sauce. 

Tangy Fish Sauce

• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice, about four limes. If you get a deal on these buy lots, juice them and freeze the juice ready for the next time you need some.
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 6 crushed cloves of garlic
• 1/2 tsp chopped chilies, I like to use a 1/2 tsp of Sambal Oelek (a  chili paste.
• 1/2 cup of fish sauce, (it's very salty) don't buy the fish sauce that has garlic and chilies in it, you want to get the plain amber coloured liquid.

Mix all of this together, when I serve a roll I use about a tbsp for each roll in a tiny bowl that you can tip it into.