Vietnamese Summer Rolls

In seventh grade when most people were hanging out at Starbucks and ice cream shops, my friends and I went for bubble tea and summer rolls at a small vietnamese sandwich shop a block away from our school. Ever since the bubble tea and summer rolls has been one of my favorite foods, it's almost always the first place I go when I come home during school breaks. With these summer rolls on my mind I decided that I would try to recreate them in my own kitchen. 

Vietnamese Summer Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce 

Rice Paper Wrappers (1 per roll) 

Medium sized shrimp (2 per roll) 

Red Leaf Lettuce 

Vermicelli Noodles  (small handful per roll) 

Cucumbers - cut into 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch by 2 inch sticks 

Mint leaves 

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter 

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

1 tablespoon sesame oil 

1 tablespoon sugar 

1-2 teaspoons water 

After peeling and cleaning the shrimp, I sautéed them in a small amount of olive oil for about 1-2 minutes a side, until the shrimp were opaque. While the shrimp was cooking I cooking the noodles in boiling water and let them cook for 3 minutes, then drained them. To assemble rolls start by soaking a rice paper wrapper in warm water for 30 seconds or until it it flexible. Then take two shrimp and cut the in half, and line the four pieces of shrimp down the middle of the wrapper. Then place a piece of lettuce  on top of the shrimp, then a small handful of noodles and two cucumber sticks. Then add a couple mint leaves and begin to fold the rolls. To fold them start by folding in the top and bottom of the wrapper and then roll the rest of the rice paper around the filling like you are rolling a burrito. Once you have rolled as many rolls as you are making, mix together the peanut sauce ingredients and add just enough water to achieve desired consistency. 

These rolls were pretty comparable to the ones that I love from my favorite bubble tea shop. The only thing that could have made these better would be a peach bubble tea to go along with it. I have a bunch of left over ingredients for this recipe so I am sure that there will be a post later on in the week featuring some of them, maybe a leftover stir fry or something, but till next time, 

Keep Cooking Brooklyn!