Vietnamese Style Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

vietnemese style fresh spring rolls 31Makes 20

For the Spring Rolls:

  • 300g pork shoulder
  • 300g large raw, peeled prawns
  • Salt
  • 3 litres/5 pints water
  • One block of rice vermicelli noodles
  • Fresh mint, leaves picked
  • Fresh coriander, leaves picked
  • ½ cucumber, cut into finger-length pieces and thinly sliced
  • 1 soft lettuce
  • 20 rice paper wrappers

For the Peanut Dipping Sauce:

  • 4 tablespoons of sunflower oil
  • 2 cloves of microplaned garlic, or finely chopped
  • 100 fl oz water
  • 2 tablespoons caster sugar
  • 8 tablespoons of Hoisin Sauce
  • 6 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter
  • Roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Bring 3 litres/5 pints of water to a boil. Meanwhile, de-vein the prawns.

When the water is boiling, add 2 teaspoons of salt. Turn the heat down to medium and add the raw prawns. Simmer for about 3 minutes. They are cooked through when they have turned pink. Remove with a slotted spoon and leave to cool.

Now poach the pork. Turn the heat up again and bring the water back to a boil. Add the pork shoulder. It will take about 20 minutes, but there’s some variation depending on whether you are using a long, thin piece or a shorter, fatter one. You need to cook to an internal temperature of 62ºC/145ºF.

While the pork is cooling, slice the prawns in half lengthways.

Place a block of vermicelli rice noodles in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Add 1 tsp salt and leave to soften for 4-5 minutes.

Slice the pork as thinly as you can.

Rinse the vermicelli rice noodles in cold water and drain thoroughly.

Now, set everything out in a production line – the pork, prawns, noodles, coriander leaves, mint leaves and cucumber. Fill a shallow bowl with warm water and open the packet of rice paper wrappers. Cover the remainder with a clean towel and dip the first one in the water. It’ll soften beneath your fingers. Ignoring the packet instructions, remove before it feels entirely roll-able. It will continue to soften. You want pliable but not limp.

Lay flat. Arrange the herbs, lettuce, cucumber and noodles on the top third of the wrapper. Tuck the pork slices up the against salad. Then the prawn halves in a third row. Make sure the cut side is facing upwards.

Tightly roll the wrapper over the salad. Tuck the sides in and continue rolling. Place the finished Spring Roll on a plate with the seam facing downwards. If you need to store – lay in a single layer, cover with large salad leaves and cling-wrap. Overnight in the fridge is fine.

For the dipping sauce – place 4 tablespoons of sunflower oil in a saucepan and soften the microplaned garlic. Then add the water and sugar. When the sugar has dissolved, add the Hoisin Sauce. Then the smooth peanut butter. Stir everything together over a low heat until it is smooth and shiny.

Pour into a serving dish and top with roughly chopped roasted peanuts.

Eat.