Vietnamese Summer Rolls with Garlic Shrimp

I used to live in San Francisco, and there is an amazing little Vietnamese banh mi sandwich shop on Larkin Street called Saigon Sandwich where, for $3, you can get the most delicious sweet/salty/savory/tangy roast pork-on-baguette sandwich you've ever had. (Over 1000 Yelp reviews don't lie.) In addition to the banh mi, they have a vast array of technicolor sweets, shrimp chips, mochi filled with bean paste, and my favorite, fresh summer rolls with shrimp.

I can eat 4 big summer rolls in one sitting. They have so much fresh flavor, and after a meal you feel light and clean and full all at the same time. (Lots of raw veggies do the trick.) They're obviously great in the summer and make excellent finger food at a party, but I've been making them a lot this winter - they're the perfect antidote to the rich, cold weather comfort food that I normally eat this time of year, and you can use up whatever raw vegetables, salad ingredients, and protein, you have in the fridge - the ones below are just suggestions.

You'll need an hour to wash, dry, and chop the veggies, prep the rice noodles, cook the shrimp, and make the sauce, but once that's done, assembly is fast and easy. Have everything set out in separate bowls when you're ready to put the rolls together. Make sure the veggies and noodles are well-drained/dry, or the wrappers will get soggy. You can make the rolls all at once and keep them in the fridge for a day or two in plastic wrap, or you can store the filling ingredients in separate containers for 2-3 days and assemble the rolls as you need them. The rolls make an excellent brown bag lunch. And the leftover filling ingredients make are nice as a salad when dressed with the dipping sauce.

For about 20 large rolls (serving 4-5 for a meal) you will need:

  • Butter, boston, red/green leaf, or other soft lettuce leaves, torn into 2" by 3" pieces
  • Mung bean sprouts, about1/2 lb
  • 2 jalapeño peppers, sliced lenthwise into thin strips. If you like heat, leave the seeds and ribs in
  • 1 cup each cilantro and mint leaves, removed from stems
  • 1 large, raw purple beet scrubbed, peeled, and julienned (sliced into 1/4 inch thick disks, then cut into matchsticks. Your fingers will stain pink, so wear rubber gloves if you're concerned about that)
  • 1 large carrot, julienned
  • Dried rice vermicelli or mung bean threads, softened in warm water and drained. If you are so inclined, mix the noodles with the freshly chopped beats. They will stain a brilliant electric pink and look beautiful in the rolls.
  • About 1/2 cup roasted, salted peanuts ,roughly chopped
  • 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and cleaned. De-vein if the veins along the back of the shrimp look dirty.  DO NOT RINSE unless they are very dirty or sandy. You'll wash the flavor away! (Any shrimp are fine. When they're in season, small, shell-on wild Maine rock shrimp are nice - they're sweet and succulent. You get between 40 and 60 shrimp small shrimp per pound, and you'll need about 3-4 small shrimp per roll. If you're using bigger shrimp, cut each in half lengthwise after you cook them, and use 3 halves per roll. This way they won't take up too much volume in the roll, and they look pretty under the skin of the wrapper.)
  • 4 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Olive or peanut oil
  • Rice paper spring roll wrappers. I like 8 1/2 inch diameter wrappers. They come wrapped in clear cellophane and often say Galletes de Riz on the package. Make sure the package contains enough wrappers for the number of rolls that you plan to make, with a few extra for practice, as they are delicate and tear easily. My Red Rose brand has about 45-50 wrappers per 12 oz (340 grams) package. Because they get very sticky once softened, you will have to prepare the rice paper wrappers one at a time, as you need them.
  • Lukewarm water in a 9" or larger pie plate or other wide, shallow pan

Directions:

Heat oil over medium heat and saute garlic until slightly soft but not browned, about 30 seconds to a minute. Add the shrimp and cook until just pink and opaque on both sides. Cooking time will depend on the size of the shrimp, but will be brief.  Set aside to cool. If you are using large shrimp, cut in half lengthwise. If you are using small shrimp, leave whole.

Prep the other ingredients as described above and set up an assembly line on your counter. Now you're ready to make the rolls. Dip a rice paper wrapper in the water until it is just soft and pliable. Make sure the water is no warmer than tepid. Any warmer and the rice paper will become too soft and delicate to work with. Lay carefully on a plate and arrange 2-3 small shrimp or 2 large shrimp halves, cut side up, across the middle of the wrapper. Lay the cilantro and mint leaves down in a pretty pattern, then lay the vegetables, noodles, and peanuts on top.

Roll like a burrito. It may take a few tries to figure out how much filling to add. You can make big, hefty rolls or more delicate rolls for a party. The less filling you use, the sturdier your rolls will be - there will be more wrapper to securing around the filling.

Serve the below dipping sauce in individual bowls; it is so tangy and addictive that double dipping will be rampant!

Other filling ingredients to try:

  • Jicama
  • Cucumber
  • Avocado
  • Pork grilled with honey and garlic
  • Tofu seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil
  • Red, green, and yellow bell peppers
  • Roasted eggplant
  • Summer squash such as zucchini or yellow crookneck
  • Mango
  • Papaya
  • Red or nappa cabbage, shredded
  • Asparagus spears
  • Fresh pineapple
  • Granny Smith apple slices
  • Watercress
  • Arugula

For 1 cup of dipping sauce:

  • 1/2 cup lime juice, about three limes, rolled on countertop to help loosen juice
  • 2 large cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Southeast Asian fish sauce, more if you really like fish sauce
  • 1/2 - 1 teaspoon Sriracha hot chili sauce
  • 1/2 cup hot water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

Mix together sauce ingredients. Taste and adjust to your preferences. You can serve immediately, or refrigerate for several hours or overnight if you have time.  If you are serving the sauce right away and like a strong raw garlic bite, use a clove of grated or pressed garlic rather than sliced.

Girl with Spoonappetizer, gluten-free, seafood