Vietnamese Soft Rolls With Crab Recipes

Steps:

• Mix together ingredients for the nuoc cham sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
• Mix together all ingredients for Hoisin dipping sauce EXCEPT chopped peanuts in a small saucepan.
• Bring mixture to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer for five minutes.
• Cool Hoisin dipping sauce to room temperature, garnish with chopped peanuts, and set aside.
• Het oil in a large skillet, add asparagus and cook for one minute.
• Add water and cook, covered, for three minutes more; remove from heat.
• Note: crab is meant to be chilled and asparagus is meant to be cooled down to room temperature when building rolls.
• Fill a large bowl with warm water (deep enough to submerge a rice paper).
• Dip one rice paper at a time while building soft rolls, just till it becomes pliable; remove from water and blot on paper toweling.
• To build roll, on softened rice paper, place a lettuce leaf with margins on all sides (except top is ok).
• Top lettuce with one ounce of crab, one piece of asparagus, a couple of pinches of alfalfa sprouts and shredded carrots, a fresh basil leaf, and a couple of cilantro sprigs.
• Fold bottom edge of rice paper up over filling, then wrap right side over filling and roll up tightly into a bundle.
• Place on serving platter covered with a damp paper towel while preparing remaining rolls.
• Serve at once with dipping sauces and hot chile paste (sambal oelek), if desired.

Steps:

• Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Boil rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes, or until al dente, and drain.
• Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the hot water for 1 second to soften. Lay wrapper flat. In a row across the center, place 2 shrimp halves, a handful of vermicelli, basil, mint, cilantro and lettuce, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on each side. Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end with the lettuce. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
• In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili sauce.
• In another small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce and peanuts.
• Serve rolled spring rolls with the fish sauce and hoisin sauce mixtures.