Shrimp Summer Rolls With Nuoc Cham Recipes

VIETNAMESE GRILLED SHRIMP SUMMER ROLLS RECIPE

Steps:

• To make the pickles: Whisk together vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. Place cucumber, carrot, daikon in a jar or container. Pour in enough vinegar and sugar mixture to fully submerge vegetables. Cover and let stand for at least one hour, or transfer to refrigerator for up to a week.
• To make the marinade: Whisk together fish sauce, water, sugar, garlic, and black pepper in a small bowl. Place shrimp in a resealable plastic bag and pour in marinade. Seal bag and place in refrigerator while preparing vermicelli and grill.
• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add in vermicelli and cook for 3 minutes. Drain in colander and run under cold water. Set aside.
• Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over entire surface of coal grate. Alternatively, set all the burners of a gas grill to high heat. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Skewer shrimp and place on grill. Grill skewered shrimp over direct heat until shrimp are opaque and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer shrimp to platter and remove from skewers.
• Fill a large, shallow bowl with hot water. Place 1 spring roll wrapper in water and let soak until soft and pliable, about 15 seconds. Transfer wrapper to a work surface. Place 3 shrimp in center of wrapper and top with lettuce, vermicelli, pickles, a few mint leaves, and a few sprigs of cilantro. Fold bottom of wrapper over filling, fold over sides around filling, then roll wrapper shut. Repeat with remaining 7 wrappers. Serve immediately.

SHRIMP SUMMER ROLLS WITH NUOC CHAM

Steps:

• Prepare the rice vermicelli according to the package directions. Drain well and set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and cold water. Boil the shrimp until bright pink, opaque and just cooked, about 1 1/2 minutes. Drain and transfer to the ice bath. Once cool, slice each shrimp in half lengthwise, pat dry and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Make the nuoc cham by whisking together the lime juice, 1/4 cup water, sugar, fish sauce, garlic and chile in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• To assemble the summer rolls, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill a large skillet with cold water.
• Working one a time, soak a rice paper wrapper in the skillet until just pliable, 5 to 7 seconds. Transfer the wrapper to a clean cutting board. Line up 3 shrimp halves, pink-side down, in the bottom third of the wrapper. Layer with some scallions, carrots, cucumbers, mint, cilantro and basil. Top with a scant 1/4 cup vermicelli and sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of the peanuts. Fold in the sides of the wrapper, then roll it up like a burrito. Place it on the prepared baking sheet seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling ingredients, making sure the rolls are not touching on the baking sheet.
• Cover the finished summer rolls with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Store any remaining vermicelli in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Serve the summer rolls with the nuoc cham on the side for dipping.

SHRIMP RICE-PAPER ROLLS WITH VIETNAMESE DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• For dipping sauce:
• Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Let stand at least 30 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)
• For rice-paper rolls:
• Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Cool.
• Place rice sticks in large bowl; add enough hot water to cover. Let stand until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain. Cut into 6-inch lengths; set aside. Fill same bowl with warm water. Add 1 rice-paper sheet and turn until beginning to soften, about 30 seconds (sheet will still be stiff in a few spots). Remove from water; drain on kitchen towel. Repeat with 5 more rice-paper sheets, arranging in single layer.
• Divide half of mint, cilantro, and basil among softened rice-paper sheets, arranging in line across lower third of each sheet and leaving 1-inch border on each end. Top with half of rice sticks, shaping into compact log. Top with half of lettuce, sprouts, cucumber, carrot, shrimp, and mushrooms. Fold bottom of each rice sheet over filling, then fold in ends and roll into tight cylinder. Place rolls, seam side down, on platter. Repeat soaking with remaining rice-paper sheets, then top with remaining filling to form 6 more rolls. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover with damp paper towel and plastic wrap; chill.) Cut each roll diagonally into thirds. Arrange on platter and serve with sauce.
• *Available at Asian markets.