Summer Rolls

I decided to recreate a Vietnamese dinner, inspired by some of the local Vietnamese restaurants we like to eat at in town. After a few (interesting) trips to the Asian grocery store, I had the ingredients I needed (and a few additional unidentified herbs). I started the meal with these summer rolls and peanut dipping sauce and then Pho Ga (Vietnamese chicken noodle soup) for the main course.

The summer rolls were pretty good, and were not that difficult to make. I had a hard time cutting the carrot into thin strips and I think next time I’ll just buy the precut matchstick carrots.

Adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Ingredients
16 Medium shrimp, peeled
2 oz. rice vermicelli
8 rice wrappers (8.5 inches)
1/2 medium cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks
Handful of bean sprouts
16 thai basil leaves
16 mint leaves

Directions
1. Fill a medium skillet with water and bring to a boil. Add shrimp and cook just until shrimp are opaque, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and remove shrimp from pan. Cut the shrimp in half lengthwise.

2. Add vermicelli to the hot liquid and let set until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan.

3. Pale a rice paper wrapper in the hot liquid and leave until softened, about one minute. Remove it from the water and place on clean, dry work surface.

4. Place 4 shrimp halves cut side up on the center of wrapper. Top with 2 basil and 2 mint leaves. Add bean sprout, carrot and cucumber strips, then rice noodles.

5. Fold up bottom 2-inch border of wrapper over filling. Fold left, then right edge of wrapper over filling. Roll filling to top edge of wrapper to form tight cylinder. Serve with peanut sauce, or sauce of choice.

The Facts
8 Servings
Calories 96.7
Total Fat 0.2 g
Fiber 0.8 g
WW Points 2