Ingredients for Vietnamese Summer Rolls
1 large bowl of warm water
1 pack of rice papers
1 pack of romaine lettuce
2 packs of Basil
2 packs of thin rice noodles
1/2 pound of pork belly
20 pieces of shrimp
1/2 cup of hoisin sauce
1 table spoon vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic
Steps for setting up
1. Pork Belly- Place the pork belly into boiling water until fully cooked, then let it rest. Chop them into 2 inch thick slices and set them on a separate plate.
2. Shrimp- Place the shrimp into boiling water for 2 minutes. Let it rest for about 3-5 minutes, peel, and set them on a separate plate.
2. Rice Noodles- Boil rice noodles in hot water. Follow instructions on the packet. Cool rice noodles in cold water to prevent them from overcooking and then set them on a separate plate.
3. Sauce- Mince 2 cloves of garlic and fry them in a pot with a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Make sure you keep stirring the garlic around as it is very easy to burn! After the garlic is brown and crispy, add a 1/2 cup of filtered water and 1/2 cup of hoisin sauce. Stir until the sauce comes to a boil, then take it off the stove to rest.
4. Greens- Unpack romaine lettuce and basil and wash them. Set aside your greens on a separate plate.
5. Rice Papers and Water- Pour warm water into a big bowl and set it aside for your rice papers.
Time to Roll!
Everything should now be organized in different plates in front of you for easy access!
1. Take your rice paper, dip it into the bowl of warm water, then put your rice paper on your plate. (The whole surface area of both sides of the rice paper should be wet) Make sure to dip for no longer than 2-5 seconds as it will ruin your roll. It is okay if your paper is still hard after dipping it into the water as it will loosen up in about a minute.
2. Lay 1 piece of lettuce down on the lower half of the rice paper as the base for everything else you are going to put in your roll. Add as many basil pieces as you please.
3. Grab some rice noodles and spread it out on your lettuce.
4. Grab some slices of pork and shrimp and spread them out on top of your rice noodles.
5. Grab everything and start rolling on your plate! (Make sure everything is tight when you roll). Before you make the last rotation of the roll, you can close the end of your rolls by folding the side of the rice paper inwards.
6. Dip and Eat!
For extra assistance on rolling, you can check out the YouTube video in the link down below. Enjoy!