Shrimp rice paper rolls

Servings: 2

• Raw medium shrimp, shell on300 g
• Dried rice vermicelli100 g
• Rice paper rounds, 22 cm10
• Lettuce leaves8
• Small cucumber1
• Small carrot1
• Mint15 g
• Thai basil15 g
• Spring onions4
• Smooth peanut butter (peanuts only)3 tbsp
• Lime juice1 tbsp
• Fish sauce1 tbsp
• Sugar2 tsp
• Garlic clove1
• Roasted peanuts20 g
• Saltto taste

One step per screen, large, with timers.

Method

1. 01

   Bring a pot of water to the boil and salt it. Drop in the shrimp and cook for 2–3 minutes, until pink and curled. Lift them into a bowl of cold water with a slotted spoon, then peel, devein and halve each one lengthwise.

   3 min timer

2. 02

   Bring the same water back to the boil and cook the rice vermicelli for the time on the packet, usually 3–5 minutes, until soft with no bite left. Drain, rinse under cold water and leave to drain well.

   4 min timer

3. 03

   Cut the cucumber and carrot into thin matchsticks 8–10 cm long. Wash and dry the lettuce and herbs, and pick the mint and basil leaves off their stems. Cut the green part of the spring onions into 10 cm lengths.

4. 04

   For the sauce, finely grate the garlic and mix it with the peanut butter, sugar, fish sauce and lime juice. Add hot water from the kettle a spoonful at a time, stirring, until the sauce is smooth and about as thick as double cream. Roughly chop the roasted peanuts.

5. 05

   Pour warm water into a wide bowl. Dip a sheet of rice paper in for 2–3 seconds, wetting it all over, and lay it on a damp board: within half a minute it turns soft and pliable. Don't leave it in the water any longer, or it goes limp and tears.

6. 06

   On the lower third of the sheet, lay a lettuce leaf, a small handful of noodles, carrot, cucumber, mint and basil. Fold the bottom edge over the filling and roll once. Just above the roll, lay 4 shrimp halves in a row, cut side up, with a piece of spring onion poking out at one end. Fold in the sides and roll up tightly. Repeat with the rest, leaving space between the rolls so they don't stick together; the spare sheets are there in case one tears.

7. 07

   Spoon the sauce into small bowls and scatter over the peanuts. Serve the rolls straight away, cold: rice paper dries out within an hour or two. If they have to wait, cover them with a damp towel.

Allergens

• crustaceans
• fish
• peanuts

Shop-bought products differ — check the label.

If you leave something out

Fish and seafood

Instead of shrimp, use 200 g firm tofu (it brings in soy), cut into batons and fried in 1 tbsp oil until golden. In the peanut sauce, use soy sauce instead of fish sauce (soy and gluten) or a pinch of salt.

Nuts

Instead of the peanut sauce, make nước chấm: stir 2 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp lime juice, 2 tbsp sugar and 6 tbsp warm water until the sugar dissolves, then add a finely chopped garlic clove. Leave out the peanuts on top. If fish is out too, use soy sauce instead of fish sauce (soy and gluten).