Fresh herbs are one of the hallmarks of Vietnamese cooking, and nothing shows them off better than these made-to-order summer rolls. They’re stuffed with basil, mint and cilantro, as well as shrimp, green onions and noodles, and served with a choice of sauces: Sweet Chile Dipping Sauce and Peanutty Hoisin Sauce.
8 oz. dried somen noodles, thin rice noodles or angel hair pasta*
16 (8 1/2-inch) round rice papers
3/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint
12 tender lettuce leaves, such as Boston, bibb or leaf lettuce, torn into strips
3/4 cup loosely packed cilantro
1/2 cup fresh basil, if desired
6 green onions, cut into thin strips 3 inches long
12 oz. shelled, deveined cooked small shrimp (36 to 45 count), tails removed
1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cool water.
2. Set up rolling stations so that each person can reach all the ingredients. (A cutting board or clean counter space works well.) Have paper or kitchen towels handy to keep workspace dry. Have pie plates of very warm water handy to soften rice paper before rolling.
3. Slide 1 rice paper sheet into warm water; submerge 3 seconds. Place on work surface; let soften 1 to 2 minutes or until translucent and a little sticky.
4. Place 1/4 cup noodles in horizontal log on bottom third of paper. Place 3 to 4 mint leaves, stem-side up, along far side of noodles; top with lettuce, cilantro, basil and green onions.
5. Roll up by lifting edge closest to you up and over noodles; tightly tuck it in to enclose ingredients. Place 2 shrimp on far side of roll. Fold in sides as though forming an envelope. Roll wrapper away from you, pressing shrimp against filling, to create cylinder. Press seam closed, using a little water if necessary to seal. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve whole or cut in half.
TIP *Somen noodles are thin Japanese noodles made from wheat.
16 rolls
PER ROLL: 190 calories, 1 g total fat (.5 g saturated fat), 8.5 g protein, 35.5 g carbohydrate, 60 mg cholesterol, 130 mg sodium, 1.5 g fiber