Summer Egg Rolls
by Katie Chin, Tastemaker in Residence
Ingredients
Hoisin Peanut Sauce:
½ cup (125 ml) hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon rice vinegar or white vinegar
Crushed roasted peanuts for garnish
Summer Rolls:
2 oz (50 g) dried rice sticks or rice vermicelli
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
16 medium-sized raw shrimp
1 package 12-in (30 cm) round rice paper wrappers
1 cup (100 g) fresh bean sprouts, ends trimmed
1 cup (105 g) carrots, cut into matchsticks
4 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
4 tablespoons fresh basil leaves
8 large or 16 small red leaf lettuce leaves, cut in half lengthwise
Instructions
Make the sauce: Bring the hoisin sauce, peanut butter, water and vinegar to a boil in a saucepan over moderately high heat. Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat. Transfer to a small serving bowl. Garnish the sauce with crushed peanuts. Set aside.
Place the rice sticks in a large bowl. Pour enough hot water over to cover. Let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cool water. Toss with the sesame oil.
Add the shrimp to boiling water; reduce the heat to medium. Cook the shrimp until it turns pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain. When cool, remove the shells. Cut each shrimp in half lengthwise, devein and set aside.
Fill a large, flat bowl with warm water, making sure it is large enough to fit the rice paper wrappers. Lay a clean towel on the workspace in front of you. Carefully dip a rice paper wrapper into the water, just to get it wet all over, trying not to crack it. It will still be slightly hard. Remove it from the water and lay it onto the clean towel, where it will continue to soften.
Layer a small amount of each of the ingredients on the bottom 1/3 of the wrap. Start with a lettuce leaf, then about 1 tablespoon of bean sprouts, then 2 to 3 pieces of shrimp, then some noodles, followed by some pieces of carrot, and then top with 2 leaves of the basil and 2 leaves of the mint. Fold up the bottom 1/3, fold in the sides and roll up the rest of the length to make an egg roll shape. Set aside and continue with the rest of the ingredients until all of the rice paper wrappers are used. Cut rolls in half on a diagonal. Serve with hoisin peanut dipping sauce.
