Chicken/shrimp summer rolls w. peanut hoisin sauce

These are one of my fav things on a Vietnamese restaurant menu. Summer rolls/Goi Cuon/rice paper rolls. And the sauce! You need to experience the sauce! Having eaten so many; examined its size, taste and texture; admired its simplicity… I decided to try making it. And make it I did! So please see below for my efforts. Don’t worry, the recipe wasn’t pulled out of thin air, I did my research!

I’m going to be honest with you here. I do stuff up, and I actually only post up the gd looking ones. You should have seen my first roll — it looked like a cocoon. Still tasted good though. No waste in my kitchen!

I managed to get most of my ingredients down at the Asian grocery place, the international aisle in your local supermarket won’t do.

For the record, these rolls definitely passed the judging panel i.e. Hayley and Micah did not rid me of what is left of my self esteem haha. Into the menu they go!

Need

24 small shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 chicken breast/pork tenderloin
thin rice vermicelli noodles
lettuce, washed
herbs: mint leaves, cilantro leaves
handful of brean sprouts
1 package rice paper (banh trang)

How

1. Pour enough water in saucepan until just chicken is covered. Season. Bring to the boil. Add the shrimp, simmer for a few min. Keep liquid as stock for sauce. Remove the shrimp and chicken with slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Shred chicken. Halve shrimp horizontally.

2. Cook rice vermicelli noodles.

3. Fill a shallow dish with warm water. Dip in rice paper into water. Place on to flat surface. Place lettuce at the end closest to you, proceed to top with vermicilli, chicken, mint, cilantro. Roll the rice paper over the filling and tuck it underneath. Place shrimp in front of your roll so far. Fold the sides inwards. Finish rolling up!

Now this is the stuff!! The rolls are nothing without this sauce.

Need:
Ladleful of stock/water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T thick soy sauce
1 t whole soybean sauce, mashed
4 T Hoisin sauce
2 T crunchy or creamy peanut butter

How:
1. In a small sauce pan, add stock and garlic. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.
2. Add rest of ingredients. Mix until everything is dissolved and forms a thick sorta sauce.

Enjoy!