Vietnamese Summer Rolls With Spicy Peanut Sauce Food

VIETNAMESE SUMMER ROLLS WITH SPICY PEANUT SAUCE

Steps:

• Soak vermicelli in water 15 minutes; drain and squeeze out water. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place vermicelli in sieve and lower into water; remove after 5 seconds. Cool and divide into 12 portions.
• Soak one rice paper in lukewarm water until pliable, about 5 minutes. Work with only 1 paper at a time and blot dry before assembling.
• To assemble: Place 1 paper on a clean kitchen towel, leaving 1-inch of the rice paper uncovered on the edge closest to you. Place 1 lettuce leaf on the sheet. Cover with 1 portion of vermicelli, and top with a portion of the cucumbers, carrots, chicken, scallions, and mint leaves. Fold the paper once over the filling, starting from the bottom, then fold in the sides and continue rolling tightly to the end. Keep rolls covered with a damp towel. Serve with Spicy Peanut Sauce.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the curry paste and stir-fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the shrimp paste and continue to stir until the shrimp paste is broken up and one shade darker, about 1 minute. Add the peanuts and stir, roasting until two shades darker but not burned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the sugar and continue to cook until the sugar is dissolved and starts to caramelize, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, tamarind concentrate, and hoisin sauce. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce until slightly thickened, about 20 to 30 minutes. The natural oils from the peanuts should have surfaced at this point. Once the sauce has reduced by about 1/3, turn off the heat and add the Thai basil and cilantro. Cover and let cool. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

SPICY SUMMER ROLLS WITH PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• For the sauce:
• Whisk together sauce ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Set aside.
• For the summer rolls:
• Put noodles in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling-hot water. Soak noodles for 10 minutes then drain and pat dry. Toss noodles with 1 tablespoon lime juice. Cut noodles with kitchen shears or knife in 5 or 6 places.
• Stir together sugar and remaining tablespoon lime juice in another bowl until sugar is dissolved, then toss with carrots and chiles.
• Gently immerse 1 rice-paper round in a large bowl of hot tap water and let stand until soft and pliable, 15 to 20 seconds. Lift out, letting excess water drip off, then lay round on a work surface, smoothing it out. If round is still very wet, gently blot top with kitchen towel.
• Arrange about 1/4 cup cabbage across center of round, leaving about 1 1/2 inches uncovered on both sides. Top cabbage evenly with 3 tablespoons carrot mixture, then sprinkle with 1 generous tablespoon peanuts. Cover mound of vegetables with a layer each of mint and basil leaves. Top evenly with about 2 tablespoons noodles.
• Fold edge of wrapper nearest you over filling, tucking in filling as tightly as possible, until it touches other side of wrapper, then fold in sides and continue to tightly roll until sealed.
• Put roll on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a damp towel and cover with another damp towel. Make 11 more rolls in same manner, storing them on baking sheet without touching.

VIETNAMESE ROLLS WITH PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• To prepare sauce, combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring until honey dissolves. Stir in peanuts.
• To prepare rolls, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger, garlic, and chicken; sauté 5 minutes. Combine chicken mixture, hoisin sauce, and chile sauce; chill.
• Add hot water to a large, shallow dish to a depth of 1 inch. Place 1 rice paper sheet in dish. Let stand 30 seconds or just until soft. Place sheet on a flat surface. Arrange 1/4 cup lettuce over half of sheet, leaving a 1-inch border. Top lettuce with 1/4 cup chicken mixture, 3 cucumber strips, 3 bell pepper strips, and 3 mint leaves. Folding sides of sheet over filling and starting with filled side, roll up jelly-roll fashion. Gently press seam to seal. Place roll, seam side down, on a serving platter (cover to keep from drying).
• Repeat procedure with remaining sheets, lettuce, chicken mixture, cucumber strips, bell pepper strips, and mint leaves. Slice each roll in half diagonally. Serve rolls with sauce.