Thai Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut-Hoisin Dip

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A no-cook assembly project: cool rice-paper rolls packed with vermicelli, herbs, crisp lettuce and butterflied shrimp (or pan-seared tofu), rolled tight enough to show off the filling through the wrapper. The peanut-hoisin dip comes together in one bowl in five minutes, and once you learn the 8-second rice-paper dip, the whole tray goes fast.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter
• 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• 1 tsp Sriracha or Thai chili-garlic sauce, plus more to taste
• 5 tbsp warm water, plus more as needed
• 1 tbsp roasted peanuts, chopped, for garnish

• 16 large shrimp (about 12 oz), peeled and deveined, tails removed
• 1 tbsp kosher salt (for the poaching water)
• 3 oz dried thin rice vermicelli noodles
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 8 leaves soft green leaf or butter lettuce, thick ribs removed
• 1 medium carrot, cut into fine matchsticks
• 1/2 English cucumber, seeded and cut into thin batons
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts
• 1 cup fresh Thai basil leaves
• 1 cup fresh cilantro sprigs, thick stems trimmed
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

• 10 round rice paper wrappers, 8 1/2-inch (a few extra for practice)
• warm water, for dipping

• 14 oz extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into 16 thin planks
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp granulated sugar

• use vegetarian hoisin and swap fish-sauce-based chili paste for Sriracha

Instructions

1. Make the dipping sauce first so it can sit and thicken: in a small bowl, whisk the peanut butter, hoisin, lime juice, sugar, sesame oil, grated garlic and Sriracha until pasty. Whisk in the warm water 1 tablespoon at a time until the sauce is smooth and just barely pourable, like heavy cream. Taste and adjust with lime, sugar or chili. Set aside and re-whisk with a splash of water before serving; top with chopped peanuts.
2. Poach the shrimp: bring 6 cups water and 1 tablespoon kosher salt to a bare simmer (about 190°F, small bubbles at the edges). Add the shrimp and cook 90 seconds to 2 minutes, just until opaque and curled into a loose C. Drain and plunge into ice water for 2 minutes, then pat very dry. Lay each shrimp on the board and slice horizontally through the thickness to make two thin halves — flat shrimp roll tighter and show through the wrapper.
3. If using tofu instead: pat the pressed planks dry, heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high, and sear the tofu 3 minutes per side until golden. Off the heat, toss with the soy sauce and sugar and let it cool completely.
4. Cook the noodles: bring a small pot of water to a boil, drop in the vermicelli, and cook 2 to 3 minutes until just tender with no chalky center. Drain, rinse under cold water until fully cool, shake dry, and toss with 1 teaspoon sesame oil so the strands do not clump. You want about 2 cups of loose noodles.
5. Set up an assembly line, left to right: a wide shallow bowl or pie plate of warm water (about 105°F — comfortably warm, not hot), a damp kitchen towel or large cutting board as your rolling surface, then the lettuce, noodles, vegetables, herbs and shrimp. Have a platter ready lined with a barely damp towel or a sheet of parchment.
6. Dip one rice paper into the warm water, rotating it for 8 to 10 seconds — no longer. Pull it out while it still feels slightly stiff, like a firm plastic sheet; it will keep softening on the towel while you fill it. Lay it flat on the damp surface.
7. Build the filling on the third of the wrapper closest to you, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border at the bottom and sides: a lettuce leaf, then a small handful of noodles (about 1/4 cup), a few carrot matchsticks, cucumber batons, a pinch of bean sprouts, and a generous pinch of basil, mint and cilantro. Keep the pile compact — about the size of a hot dog — or the roll will not close.
8. Place 4 shrimp halves (cut side down, pink side up) in a neat line on the bare wrapper above the filling, about 1 inch from the top edge. This is the side that will face out on the finished roll.
9. Fold the bottom edge up and over the filling, then use your fingertips to pull the wrapper back toward you to compress the bundle tight. Fold in both sides, then roll forward over the shrimp, keeping steady tension, until sealed. The wrapper is self-sticking. Set seam-side down on the platter, not touching the other rolls.
10. Repeat with the remaining wrappers, changing the dipping water if it gets cloudy or cool. If rolls start tearing, you are soaking too long; if the wrapper cracks and will not seal, you are not soaking long enough.
11. Serve within 2 hours, whole or halved on a sharp diagonal with a very sharp knife, with the peanut-hoisin sauce alongside for dipping.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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