"Unrolled" Summer Roll

By á-2183

Recipe By: Mark Bittman

Ingredients

• Dressing
• 1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam)
• 1 tablespoon sugar, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon Vietnamese chili-garlic paste, or to taste, or chopped fresh chiles to taste
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 4 to 6 cups lettuce, washed, dried, and torn or chopped
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups cooked rice noodles (see sidebar)
• 1/2 cup shredded peeled carrots
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, left whole or barely torn
• 1/4 cup fresh Thai (or other) basil leaves, left whole or barely torn
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, left whole or barely torn
• 12 small slices cooked pork or 12 poached or grilled shrimp, split lengthwise in half
• Scallion Oil (optional)
• 1/4 cup neutral oil, like corn or canola
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 2 or 3 scallions, trimmed and minced

Preparation

Step 1

1. 1. First, make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, sugar, ginger, and chili-garlic paste with about 1/4 cup water, to produce a thin sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and black pepper if necessary. 2. Divide the lettuce among 4 plates. Top each with a quarter of the noodles, carrots, herbs, and pork or shrimp. Drizzle the dressing over all, and, if you like, top with Scallion Oil.

2. Scallion Oil Directions: 1. Put the scallions in a small bowl; stir in the salt and sugar. 2. Heat the oil in a small pan until it is thin and fragrant. Pour the oil over the scallions; they should sizzle (if they do not, the oil wasn't hot enough). Cool and use by the spoonful.