These delicious summer rolls make the perfect side dish or starter alongside Thai mussels or a Pad Thai, or alternatively a meal of their own dipped in soy sauce or sriracha mayonnaise. Stuffed with vermicelli noodles, sticky marinaded prawns, shitake mushrooms, cucumber, fresh coriander leaves and roasted peanuts, these rolls are gorgeous morsels.
INGREDIENTS (Makes 10-12 rolls)
PRAWNS AND SAUCE
225 raw jumbo prawns
1 tbsp vegetable oil
150g fresh shitake mushrooms, or chesnut, roughly chopped
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 red chili, finely sliced and seeds removed
2 garlic cloves crushed
2 tbsp water
2 tsp ginger
2 tbsp siracha
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
SUMMER ROLLS
handful of salted, roasted peanuts
bunch of spring onions
500g pack of Vietnamese rice spring roll wrappers
1/2 cucumber, sliced into batons
30g of coriander, roughly chopped
METHOD
Start by preparing the noodles according to packet instructions, usually simmering in boiling water for a couple of minutes, then straining in cold water. Drain and place in a bowl on top of a few sheets of kitchen towel to absorb any excess liquid.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the prawns and sear for about a minute on each side until golden and opaque, then place into bowl. Next add the mushrooms and cook for 4-5 minutes, trying not to stir frequently until deliciously seared, then set aside.
Wipe your skillet down with kitchen towel to remove any residue which might burn. Return skillet to stove, heat sesame oil. Add garlic, ginger and 1/2 the chili. Cook until garlic turns golden. Add water, then Sriracha, soy sauce and sugar, Stir, increase heat to medium high, and let it simmer for 3 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken to a thin syrup consistency. Remove from the heat.
Combine the prawns, mushrooms and sticky sauce with the noodles (removing the kitchen towel first) and toss thoroughly so the noodles are fully coated. Mix through the peanuts, spring onions and remaining red chili.
Fill a large bowl with hot water (but not too hot to dip your hands in) and dip the solid rice papers one at a time, until soft. Place on a chopping board lined with kitchen towel to remove the excess water, then place your filling (the noodle mix, fresh coriander and the cucumber batons on the lower third of the wrap, with 1 inch from the wrap . Roll each roll gently from the side where you've added the filling, tucking in both sides as you do to create a parcel.
