Avocado Shrimp Spring Roll

shrimp

🥗Healthier: tofu

💰Cheaper: cooked chicken

Tofu offers a plant-based option, while cooked chicken is often less expensive.

fish sauce

🥗Healthier: soy sauce

💰Cheaper: soy sauce

Soy sauce is a common substitute for fish sauce, providing umami flavor.

Prepare the shrimp by boiling a small pot of water with a large pinch of salt. Add the shrimp and cook for about 1 minute, until they turn pink and are fully curled. Once cool, slice the shrimp in half lengthwise and set aside.

If using the ground meat, heat the oil in a medium-sized pan until hot. Add the pork. Break it apart to keep the ground chunks small. Stir occasionally as you cook the pork until browned. Sprinkle with salt and add the wine. Keep cooking until all the liquid evaporates and the meat is cooked and chopped into small pieces. Transfer the meat to a plate to cool.

Prepare the rest of the ingredients while the proteins are cooling off.

If you do not plan to serve the spring rolls the same day, you can now seal all the prepped ingredients in airtight containers and store them in the fridge for up to 2 days.

To make the sesame sauce, combine everything in a medium-sized bowl and stir until it forms a smooth paste. If the paste is too thick, add a few drops of water at a time and mix until your desired consistency is reached.

To make the Nuoc Cham sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl with 4 teaspoons of water. Depending on the strength of your fish sauce, you may want to add extra water or sugar according to your taste.

The sauce can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.

The day you plan to serve the spring rolls, place all the filling ingredients on plates for easy access. Fill a shallow but wide dish with an inch of warm water. You should have a clean working surface like a cutting board that you can spread the rice paper on.

Work on the rolls one at a time. Take a rice paper wrapper and pull it through the water slowly 3 or 4 times. You want it to be moist but still a bit stiff. Lay the moistened wrapper on a flat work surface.

To build the roll, work in thirds. Be sure to leave an inch and a half of space on the bottom and top of the wrapper. Also leave 2 inches of wrapper on the edges.

On the first third of the wrapper lay a piece of lettuce, then place 1 to 2 tablespoons of cooked ground meat in the center. Fold it so the meat is wrapped in the middle, then place it folded side down.

In the middle of the wrapper, lay a few slices of avocado, evenly spaced and at an angle. On top of the avocado, add a layer of carrots and a few herb leaves without the stems.

On the top third, place three of the halved shrimp, pink side down and evenly spaced.

Take the bottom edge of your wrapper and fold it over the third with the lettuce. Then roll the bottom third over the center. Take both sides and tightly fold them in. Tuck a sprig of the herbs at the edge of the roll, allowing them to poke out of one side. Then continue to roll over the shrimp and press lightly to seal on the remaining loose rice paper.

Set the formed spring rolls aside on a plate. Repeat the wrapping with all of the remaining rice wrappers. Make sure to space out the spring rolls, because the rice paper will stick together if the rolls are placed against each other.

Serve the spring rolls at room temperature with the dipping sauces. Enjoy!

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens