Fresh Spring Rolls – Gỏi Cuốn

INGREDIENTS

·        300 grams Chicken breast (10.6 oz)

·        1 teaspoon Salt

·        200 grams Shrimps (7 oz) 15 pcs

·        200 grams Rice vermicelli “bún” (7 oz)

·        15 pieces Rice paper (22 cm/ 8.7 in diameter)

·        Fresh greens: Lettuce, Mint, Cilantro, Perila, Garlic, Chives etc.

·        1 Cucumber, cut lengthwise into thin 7 x 3 cm (3 x 1 in) slices

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE:

·        1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

·        1 tablespoon Garlic, minced

·        5 tablespoons Hoisin Sauce

·        5 tablespoons Chicken Broth / Water

·        1 tablespoon Peanut butter

·        1 tablespoon Sugar

·        1 teaspoon Chilli, minced

·        1 tablespoon roasted Peanuts, crushed

METHOD

Ø  Boil the chicken breast with some salt until fully cooked

Ø  Fry the shrimp without any oil on medium heat for 1-2 minutes until they turn orange. Let cool and peel. Slice each shrimp lengthwise into 2 halves. Remove any black lines running through the shrimp meat

Ø  Cook the rice vermicelli in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes until soft (the package instructions are easy to follow). Remember to drain and rinse the noodles under cold water, otherwise they will keep cooking

Ø  To make the dipping sauce, heat vegetable oil in a small saucepan on medium high heat, then fry the minced garlic till golden brown. Add hoisin sauce, chicken broth, peanut butter and sugar. Stir well and simmer on low heat for 1-2 minutes, uncovered, until slightly thickened. Pour the sauce into condiment bowls and top with minced fresh chilli and crushed peanuts.

Ø  To assemble the roll, place the cooked rice vermicelli, shrimps, meat, fresh greens and sliced cucumber on the plates. Prepare a pan of lukewarm water to soften rice paper and a flat work surface (like a cutting board or a large plate) for the rolling job. Dip one piece of rice paper into the water, covering the paper with water without soaking it. Gently shake off the excess water and lay it on the flat surface. Place the fresh vegetables in a row on the lower or upper third of the rice paper, leaving about 2 inches on both sides. Next, place some some vermicelli, cucumber slices, meat slices and 2 shrimp halves on the rice paper. Keep the orange side of shrimps facing down. Starting from the end closest to the fillings, roll once or twice until you reach the centre of the rice paper. Fold the top and bottom sides inwards, and continue rolling. You can also include some garlic chives at the end to give the roll a little “tail”

Ø  You can either spoon some dipping sauce onto the role to eat them, or dip them straight into the sauce. You can also cut the rolls diagonally in half to make it more manageable