Vietnamese Summer Rolls

Step 1

In a blender, combine the peanut butter, hoisin sauce, water, sriracha, vinegar, garlic, and salt. Purée until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Step 2

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the rice noodles until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water until cooled, and drain again. Transfer the noodles to a large plate and set aside to dry.

Step 3

In a medium bowl, combine the carrots, cucumber, scallions, vinegar, fish sauce, and sugar. Toss well.

Step 4

Fill a pie plate or large pot with room-temperature water. Immerse one rice paper wrapper until slightly softened, 5 to 10 seconds. Remove carefully with both hands and lay flat on a clean surface.

Step 5

Place 3 cilantro leaves and 3 mint leaves in a row slightly left of center on the wrapper, and top with 4 shrimp halves, cut side up, in a row over the herbs. Hold a lettuce leaf in your hand; fill with about ¼ cup of the carrot/cucumber mixture and ¼ cup of the noodles. Roll into a cylinder and place to the right of the shrimp on the wrapper, seam side down.

Step 6

Roll Up: Lift the edge of the rice paper closest to the filling and roll it snugly over the lettuce, carrot/noodle mixture, ensuring the filling is tightly encased. Continue rolling the wrap towards the shrimp and herbs, folding in the sides of the wrapper towards the center, until the entire roll is snug and the rice paper seam seals itself. Place on a baking sheet, seam-side down, leaving a little space between the rolls so they don’t stick together, and cover with a damp towel. Repeat with remaining ingredients, replenishing water as needed.

Step 7

To serve, cut each roll in half crosswise, if desired, and serve with peanut sauce for dipping.

Step 8

Make-Ahead Instructions: Summer rolls can be prepared up to a few hours ahead of time. Cover the entire baking sheet with plastic wrap, leaving the damp towel in place, and refrigerate until ready to serve. To serve, remove the summer rolls from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to take off the chill.

Step 9

Note: The nutritional information for each serving includes 2 summer rolls and approximately 3 tablespoons of the peanut hoisin sauce.