Cambodian•healthy

Spring Rolls with Tamarind Dipping Sauce

Nhaim Chaow - Cambodian Spring Rolls with shrimp and fresh crispy veggies

Ingredients

Quantities are shown as originally provided.

12 squares fine rice vermicelli
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound large shrimp shell-on (or your favorite protein)
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 package 4 oz neem flower buds (or any bitter vegetable like arugula )
½ head red leaf lettuce
1.5 pounds crunchy vegetables ((cucumber, red bell pepper, purple cabbage, carrot))
½ pound sprouts ((bean sprouts, kale sprouts, or daikon sprouts))
2 cups assorted herbs and mints ((Thai basil, mints, Vietnamese coriander) )
12 sheets square rice paper (22cm square)
9.5 ounce Angkor Tamarind Sauce

1
Cook vermicelli in 7 cups of boiling water for 50 seconds, drain, place in cold water bath, then squeeze the water from the vermicelli. Lay them flat on a plate, set aside.
2
Sauté shrimp over medium high heat with oil and fish sauce until cooked (shell turns salmon color and flesh is firm). When shrimp have cooled, remove shells and slice lengthwise into half, then deveined with moist paper towel. Set aside.
3
Prepare the remaining vegetables and herbs. Slice or strip crunchy vegetables lengthwise, so they are easy to wrap. Set aside.
4
Assemble Rolls
5
Submerge each sheet of rice paper in a bowl of lukewarm water (105ºF) for 5 second; lift and gently shake off the water. Place the wet rice paper on a cutting board, with a corner pointing away from you, when looking straight down you should see a diamond shape.
6
Just off the center of the rice paper (closer to you), place the ingredients in the following order: 3 pieces of shrimp, lettuce, the rest of the vegetables and herbs, then vermicelli. Fold the side corners of rice paper over the vermicelli, roll the corner that is closest to you away from you just as you would roll a burrito. Firmly press the filling, while you are rolling.