Summer Rolls

I am a huge fan of Vietnamese and Cambodian cooking. Slowly, my kids are starting to appreciate it. My daughter has embraced it the most. She taught me, how to make Summer Rolls. Summer rolls are one of my favorite appetizers/meals. I added basil from an Asian Market, that is a common ingredient in Pho and our first batch was amazing.

Ingredients

Rice Paper
Rice Vermicelli Noodles found in the freezer/refrigerator case. They usually require a 5-10 sec quick boil. Run under cold water after the quick boil.
Cooked Shrimp - Large
Vietnamese Basil  (Asian Chinese has many names - Large Purple/green leaves)
Thinly sliced carrots strips
Thinly sliced Cucumber strips
Green Onion Thinly Sliced or in a long thin sprig as in the picture

Prepare all of you ingredients and set them up as an assembly line.
Prepare the rice paper by placing in on a plate with warm water. They will soften within a few minutes. The lines in the paper will disappear.
Place the rice paper (careful not to tear) on a new plate.
Add the noodles as a base and the rest of your ingredients.
Roll towards you. Be sure to use a rolling motion to ensure that the roll is tight and holds the ingredients.

Some variations - Summer rolls can be made with Chicken and Pork. The same is true for the vegetables. You can use regular cilantro in place of the Vietnamese basil. Some add the peanut sauce in the roll. I like it as a dipping sauce. (See Dipping Sauce Recipe)