Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 24 small shrimp, peeled
- 6 ounces (180 g) boneless, thick pork loin chop or
- boneless pork shoulder
- 6 ounces (180g) pound dried round rice noodles
- (bun)
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) Basic Dipping Sauce (recipe
- follows)
- 1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated
- 12 to 16 sprigs cilantro
- 12 to 16 sprigs mint
- 16 rice paper rounds, 8 1/2 inches (21.25 cm) in diameter
Preparation
Step 1
1. To poach the shrimp, fill a small saucepan half full with water, add the salt, and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the shrimp, remove from the heat, and let stand for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the
shrimp have curled nicely and are pinkish orange. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Leave the water in the pan.
2. While the shrimp are poaching, trim excess fat from the pork, if you like. Return the water in the pan to a rolling boil and drop in the pork. When the water starts bubbling at the edges of the pan, remove the pan from the heat and cover tightly. Let stand for 20 minutes. The pork should be firm yet still yield a bit to the touch. Remove the pork from the pan and let cool. Save the light stock for another use or discard.
3. Meanwhile, boil the noodles in a pot of water for 3 to 5 minutes until chewy-soft. Drain and flush with cold water. Drain well and cool completely. Prepare the dipping sauce (on Page 3) and set aside.
4. Working with one shrimp at a time, lay it flat on a cutting board and cut in half horizontally. (Use the index and middle fingers of your non-cutting hand to keep the shrimp in place as you wield the knife.) Devein the shrimp as necessary. Set aside on a plate. Thinly slice the pork into strips, then add to the shrimp.
5. Set up a wrapping station composed of a flat work surface (a cutting board, inverted baking sheet, or dish towel) and a bowl of water for
dipping the rice papers. Place the shrimp, pork, noodles, lettuce, and herbs nearby. Dip a rice paper round in water and then place it on your work surface. When the rice paper is pliable and tacky, fold a lettuce leaf in half along its central spine and then tear off the spine. Place
the folded leaf on the lower third of the rice paper round. Put a large egg-size mound of noodles atop of the lettuce, spreading them in a
rectangle. Lay a couple of pork strips on top, and top with a few mint and cilantro leaves. Bring up the lower edge of the rice paper to
cover the herbs. Roll up the rice paper up so that the lettuce is now facing upward through the rice paper. Add 3 shrimp halves, cut side up, lining them up snugly end to end along the roll. Fold the sides of the circle inward to cover the filling.
Continue to roll until you have a snug cylindrical
package. The rice paper is self-sealing. Repeat to
make 16 rolls total, placing the finished rolls on
a serving platter. Present whole or halved on the
diagonal. Serve the rolls with the sauce. Diners
can dip the rolls into the sauce or spoon some
sauce onto the rolls.