← Nouns Cooking · Vietnamese

Ingredients

• 250 g pork belly or shoulder, in one piece
• ½ Onion
• 1 tsp Salt
• 250 g raw prawns, shell on
• 100 g Rice vermicelli
• 12 sheets rice paper wrappers (22 cm)
• 1 soft lettuce, leaves separated
• 1 bunch Mint
• 1 bunch long chives or garlic chives
• 1 handful Thai basil or perilla (optional)
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 6 tbsp Hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp Peanut butter
• 120 ml Water
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, crushed
• 1 tsp sambal oelek or sriracha (optional)

Method

1. Put the pork, onion and salt in a small pan, cover with water and simmer for 20–25 min, until cooked through (at least 63°C / 145°F) and tender. Cool, then slice as thinly as you can.
2. Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the prawns and cook for 2 min until pink. Drop them into iced water, then peel, devein and slice each in half lengthways.
3. Cook the noodles according to the packet (usually 3–4 min), rinse under cold water and drain thoroughly. Set everything out in a line with a large bowl of warm water.
4. For the sauce, fry the garlic in the oil for 30 seconds, then add the hoisin, peanut butter and water and simmer for 1–2 minutes until smooth. Cool slightly and top with the crushed peanuts and sambal.
5. Dip one rice paper in the warm water for a couple of seconds and lay it on a damp board; it will keep softening as you work. Lay 3 prawn halves cut side up across the middle, then pork, a lettuce leaf, a small bundle of noodles and some herbs.
6. Fold the bottom over the filling, fold in the sides and roll up tightly, tucking a chive in so it pokes out of one end. Repeat, and keep the finished rolls under a damp cloth until serving.

Tips

• Contains peanuts and shellfish. Hoisin sauce usually contains wheat.
• Swap the pork and prawns for fried tofu and use a vegetarian hoisin to make them vegan.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Hungry Huy Wok and Kin RecipeTin Eats