Summer Rolls

Recipe 12 leaves lettuce, iceberg or romaine 4 oz cooked rice vermicelli, rinsed and drained 1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks 1 cup cucumbers, cut into matchsticks fresh mint fresh thai basil fresh cilantro 12 slices cooked pork loin / shoulder / belly 24 lemongrass poached shrimp, deveined, peeled, halved lengthwise mung bean sprouts, optional garlic chives 2 stalks lemongrass, crushed 1| Cook pork: submerge pork in water with 1 tsp sugar and pinch salt. Bring water to a boil and then lower heat to medium. Boil for 30 minutes, until the pork floats and a chopstick inserted does not run pink. Let cool and slice meat into very thin slices. Reserve some broth for dipping sauce. 2| Cook shrimp: After deveining shrimp, bring a pot of water with a pinch salt and crushed lemongrass to a boil. Add in shrimp and return mixture to boil, then reduce to low and simmer until shrimp is no longer translucent, about 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat and cool shrimp and poaching liquid to room temperature together. 3| Cook vermicelli according to directions on the package. I added vermicelli to boiling water and cooked for 4-5 minutes, until soft but al dente. Rinse in cold water to stop the cooking, and drain thoroughly. 4| Assemble rolls: Fill a large shallow plate with warm water. Dip one sheet of rice paper into warm water and let soak until it starts to become bendable but still has a structure. Transfer to rolling surface. At the bottom 1/3 of the rice paper, lay down a torn leaf of lettuce. Top with cucumber and carrot. Top with slices of pork. Arrange some vermicelli over pork. Top with herbs and garlic chives. Place 3-4 shrimp halves across the center of the rice paper. Begin rolling, tucking the sides in as you roll. Transfer roll to a platter and repeat! To avoid drying out or sticking: if you’re serving these immediately you can cover with a slightly damp kitche towel. If you want to store these rolls for a longer period, cover with plastic wrap between layers to prevent sticking, and keep in the refrigerator. Fish Sauce Dipping Sauce 3 tbsp fish sauce juice of 1 lime 3 tbsp sugar, to taste 1/2 tbsp minced ginger ½ tsp thinly sliced fresh thai chiles 1/3 –1/2 cup water salt and pepper to taste mix all together and store a day prior to let chili flavor infuse Hoisin Peanut Sauce – 1 tsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp minced garlic 5 tbsp hoisin sauce 3 tbsp pork broth 1 tbsp peanut butter 1 tbsp sugar chopped roasted peanuts (optional) Whisk together hoisin, broth, peanut butter. Heat garlic in some oil in a fry pan and sautee until fragrant. Add in and whisked mixture and sugar, and simmer for 1-2 minutes until thick. Let cool.