Challenge Accepted....Spring Rolls with Dipping Sauce

I love a good challenge. I saw these spring rolls by Joshua Weissman and I knew immediately that I wanted to try making them! I have never had a spring roll with the rice paper wrap, the veggies, and the noodles on the inside. I liked this recipe, but I didn’t love this recipe for a couple of reasons. I think the biggest turn-off for me was that I do not like cold shrimp. There is cold shrimp in the wraps, so it makes sense that I didn't like them. I also thought that there were a lot of spices in the wrap. I think I would have excluded the mint and maybe even the basil. I felt like there were a lot of flavors that didn’t necessarily go together. I did like the peanut sauce!

Overall, if you like cold shrimp, then I would say you would enjoy these rolls! If you do not, like me, then I would say that you are not going to particularly enjoy them.

Youtube link to Joshua’s Spring Rolls here! (There are two spring rolls in this video, but I only touch on the first one).

Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

Rolls

• 6 oz vermicelli noodles

• 1 lb shrimp

• 2 carrots, julienned

• 2 thai chillies*

• ¼ cup torn mint (small pieces)

• ¼ cup torn cilantro (small pieces)

• ¼ cup thai basil (small pieces)

• Zest of 1 lime

• Rice paper sheets

Peanut Sauce

• ½ cup hoisin sauce

• ¼ cup smooth peanut butter

• 1 tbsp sambal**

• 2 tbsp rice vinegar

• 2 cloves garlic

• ¼ cup warm water

Directions:

1. Prepare the noodles according to package directions.

2. Bring a medium sized pot to a boil and add in scraps from the garlic. If you want, you can add in ginger root as well cut into a few pieces. Add peeled and deveined shrimp to the boiling water. Cover the pot and take off the heat. Let the shrimp poach for 3-4 minutes. Remove and place in an ice bath. Cut the shrimp in half.

3. Combine the carrots, chillies, mint, cilantro, basil, and lime zest in a bowl.

4. Combine all of the ingredients for the peanut sauce.

5. Start by submerging the rice paper sheet in warm water until flexible. Add a handful of prepared noodles, some of the carrot mixture, and about 4 of the shrimp halves. Roll the rice paper just like a burrito.

*I used jalapenos.

**I used Sriracha.

Taste: 7/10

Level of difficulty: 2/5

Notes for next time: I am not sure I would make these again because I do not like cold shrimp.