Fresh Thai Spring Rolls
I have a new friend, Khampha, who is Laotian. She came over today and taught me how to make fresh Thai spring rolls. Chuck ate them at her house once and really liked them. They are fun to make and very fresh and healthy tasting. You can dip them in Thai spring roll sauce or peanut sauce. I prefer the peanut sauce with these. I will add a recipe for the peanut sauce after I make it. The full amounts of the ingredients are an estimate since we made about 12 rolls and still had filling left. I think this will make about 20 rolls but I'll have to make them again to make sure my estimations are correct.
11/10/18 Update--I have been trying these at Thai restaurants and after experimenting quite a bit, I've adjusted this recipe to my liking! Try to cut everything the right length for your wrapper.
Recipe:
1/2 pound meat (beef, pork or chicken--cut in strips) optional*
10-12 ounces rice Vermicelli, cooked according to directions in heavily salted water.
12 ounces raw large shrimp
40 med-large size rice paper spring roll wrappers
1 head lettuce leaves, halved (I use a combo of Green Leaf and Ice-burg or Romaine)
2-3 large handful cilantro, rinsed and bottom stems cut off
1-2 cucumbers, peeled, sliced the long way, cut in half and chunky matchsticks.
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut in matchsticks.
Thai basil leaves--40-60
You will need to have all the ingredients ready to assemble your rolls.
Cook the meat ahead of time, being generous with the salt and a little pepper.
Cook the vermicelli noodles like pasta in boiling water with 2 tablespoons salt and rinse them in cold water and set aside.
Cook the shrimp in the same water, rinse in cold water and cut them in half the long way but not all the way through; leave the tail end attached. It's the same as butterflying them but instead of leaving some of the back attached you're leaving the tail end attached. Hopefully that makes sense. You can also leave the shrimp whole but it's harder to roll them.
Prepare the lettuces, cilantro, cucumber and carrot.
Have a large bowl of cool water ready to soften the rice papers.
This is how to assemble the rolls:
3-6 lettuce leaves
1 or 2 sticks of meat
2-4 sticks of cucumber
a few carrot sticks
Cilantro leaves
2-3 basil leaves, big ones torn
1 small handful of noodle
If you use the whole shrimp, put them on top of the noodle
Set this little packet aside while you prepare the rice paper for it.
You can use one or two rice papers (I prefer one and Chuck prefers two). Fully immerse two rice paper wrappers, one after the other, into the warm water. Place one of them down on a cutting board or piece of parchment paper. Place the other one above the first one and overlap it by about 1/3. If using the cut shrimp, place them in the lower part of the wrapper (closest to you). Take the lettuce packet and roll it up as tight as possible and place it on top of the shrimp.
Rolling them is the hardest thing about these and just takes practice. Take the bottom edge of the rice paper and fold it over the filling while holding the lettuce packet down with the other hand. Keep some pressure to get it as tight as you can without tearing holes in the wrapper. Roll up, trying to keep it tight, folding in the sides a couple of times as you go until you have rolled up the wrapper(s). Wrap any sides that are not tight. Or you can just roll it up, leaving the sides open. This stuff is sticky so you can stretch and stick it to itself. Before serving cut the roll in 4 pieces and stand on ends so it doesn't stick to the plate.
Serve them with peanut sauce below or Thai spring roll sauce for dipping.
Peanut Sauce:
1 can coconut milk
2 tablespoons red curry paste
2 tablespoons Tamarind sauce
4 tablespoons peanut butter or 5 tablespoons ground peanuts, plus some whole peanuts
6 tablespoons sugar or palm sugar (4-5 small half rounds)
2-3 tablespoons fish sauce
In a saucepan, add coconut milk and heat over medium heat. Stir in curry paste and mix well. When it begins to simmer, add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer until it's the thickness you like.
I think this one would be good with a video because I feel like I'm not making any sense with these directions. Good Luck!
*If you don't use meat double the shrimp
11/10/18 Update--I have been trying these at Thai restaurants and after experimenting quite a bit, I've adjusted this recipe to my liking! Try to cut everything the right length for your wrapper.
Recipe:
1/2 pound meat (beef, pork or chicken--cut in strips) optional*
10-12 ounces rice Vermicelli, cooked according to directions in heavily salted water.
12 ounces raw large shrimp
40 med-large size rice paper spring roll wrappers
1 head lettuce leaves, halved (I use a combo of Green Leaf and Ice-burg or Romaine)
2-3 large handful cilantro, rinsed and bottom stems cut off
1-2 cucumbers, peeled, sliced the long way, cut in half and chunky matchsticks.
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut in matchsticks.
Thai basil leaves--40-60
You will need to have all the ingredients ready to assemble your rolls.
Cook the meat ahead of time, being generous with the salt and a little pepper.
Cook the vermicelli noodles like pasta in boiling water with 2 tablespoons salt and rinse them in cold water and set aside.
Cook the shrimp in the same water, rinse in cold water and cut them in half the long way but not all the way through; leave the tail end attached. It's the same as butterflying them but instead of leaving some of the back attached you're leaving the tail end attached. Hopefully that makes sense. You can also leave the shrimp whole but it's harder to roll them.
Prepare the lettuces, cilantro, cucumber and carrot.
Have a large bowl of cool water ready to soften the rice papers.
This is how to assemble the rolls:
3-6 lettuce leaves
1 or 2 sticks of meat
2-4 sticks of cucumber
a few carrot sticks
Cilantro leaves
2-3 basil leaves, big ones torn
1 small handful of noodle
If you use the whole shrimp, put them on top of the noodle
Set this little packet aside while you prepare the rice paper for it.
You can use one or two rice papers (I prefer one and Chuck prefers two). Fully immerse two rice paper wrappers, one after the other, into the warm water. Place one of them down on a cutting board or piece of parchment paper. Place the other one above the first one and overlap it by about 1/3. If using the cut shrimp, place them in the lower part of the wrapper (closest to you). Take the lettuce packet and roll it up as tight as possible and place it on top of the shrimp.
Rolling them is the hardest thing about these and just takes practice. Take the bottom edge of the rice paper and fold it over the filling while holding the lettuce packet down with the other hand. Keep some pressure to get it as tight as you can without tearing holes in the wrapper. Roll up, trying to keep it tight, folding in the sides a couple of times as you go until you have rolled up the wrapper(s). Wrap any sides that are not tight. Or you can just roll it up, leaving the sides open. This stuff is sticky so you can stretch and stick it to itself. Before serving cut the roll in 4 pieces and stand on ends so it doesn't stick to the plate.
Serve them with peanut sauce below or Thai spring roll sauce for dipping.
Peanut Sauce:
1 can coconut milk
2 tablespoons red curry paste
2 tablespoons Tamarind sauce
4 tablespoons peanut butter or 5 tablespoons ground peanuts, plus some whole peanuts
6 tablespoons sugar or palm sugar (4-5 small half rounds)
2-3 tablespoons fish sauce
In a saucepan, add coconut milk and heat over medium heat. Stir in curry paste and mix well. When it begins to simmer, add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer until it's the thickness you like.
I think this one would be good with a video because I feel like I'm not making any sense with these directions. Good Luck!
*If you don't use meat double the shrimp
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