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340-g pkg frozen cooked medium shrimp, peeled
1/2 227-g pkg thin rice vermicelli noodles
1/2 head bibb or Boston lettuce
1 bunch fresh mint
1 cup coarsely chopped coriander
1/2 cup finely grated carrots
15 sheets rice paper, about 6 inches in diameter
Defrost shrimp following package directions. Pat dry with paper towels. Place noodles in a large bowl and cover with very hot water. Soak 15 minutes. Meanwhile, separate lettuce leaves and slice in half. Remove mint leaves from stems. Cut larger ones in half. Prepare coriander and carrots, and stir into drained soaked noodles.
Cover a cutting board with a damp dishtowel. Fill a large bowl with hot water and place beside board. Line fillings up near board. Working with 1 rice-paper round at a time, dip into hot water and leave until very pliable, 10 seconds. Gently lay wet round on towel. Line up 3 shrimp along bottom third of round. Top with a lettuce half and a tiny handful of noodles. Place a couple of mint leaves on top.
Lift the sheet edge nearest you and tightly roll toward centre to cover filling. When you reach centre, fold in sides to partially cover filling. Continue to tightly roll up sheet to form a log. To seal, dip your finger in water and rub over seam. Set roll, seam side down, on a platter. Repeat with remaining ingredients. If rice-paper rounds curl before being soaked, don't worry. As soaking water cools, replace with hot water. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours. Just before serving, slice rolls in half diagonally. Enjoy with Vietnamese Dipping Sauce, below.
Calories 76, Protein 6g, Carbohydrates 12g, Fat 1g, Fibre 1g, Sodium 336mg.
Many supermarkets sell rice-paper rounds in their Asian sections.You'll be surprised at how easily these delicate rolls make up.
Stir 3/4 cup (175 mL) rice vinegar with 1/4 cup (50 mL) fish sauce, 4 tsp (20 mL) granulated sugar, 2 tbsp (30 mL) finely grated carrots and 2 tsp (10 mL) finely chopped jalapeño. Use right away or cover and refrigerate overnight. Makes 1 1/4 cups (300 mL)