Vietnamese Prawn Wraps

These wraps make the perfect lunch. The fresh crunch of the lettuce and carrot with the contrast of the soft prawn/shrimp and avocado and the spicy sauce make this just the perfect combination to me.

  In fact, I am ashamed to admit I ate all of them myself!! 

When Big Pete is travelling on business I like to make things that he would never eat. The man can't get beyond the texture of the rice wrapper but, he just doesn't get that he is missing out on a truly fantastic meal! 

You will need:

This recipe makes 4 wraps

• 4 rice wrappers
• a large handful of vermicelli noodles- fine rice noodles

Sauce

• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/2 fresh red chili
• 1 clove garlic chopped fine
• 1 spring onion/scallion - chopped fine
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro - chopped fine
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin

Filling

• 20 raw prawns/shrimp-any size you like - cooked in water with slice of lemon and few sprigs of cilantro
• handful of lettuce- sliced fine
• 1 spring onion- sliced fine
• 1 small carrot- grated
• few slices of fresh avocado
• few leaves fresh basil- julienned
• few sprigs of cilantro
• lime juice
• a few spoons of the sauce - recipe above

Step 1: in a small pot, boil water and cook peeled and de-veined raw shrimp/prawns. I put a few slices of lemon and a few sprigs of cilantro in the water to flavour. This should only take a few minutes. When the shrimp turn pink let cook for another minute and remove to cool. 

Step 2: place some dry vermicelli noodles in a bowl  and pour boiling water over to cover. You may need to carefully push the noodles to submerge. Let soak 3-4 minutes until soft. Drain and set aside.

Step 3: prepare sauce. Add all ingredients to a small bowl to combine. 

Step 4: prepare all your chopped fillings. I like to butterfly the cooked shrimp to create flat pieces of shrimp.

Step 5: gather all your ingredients together and get ready to wrap

Step 6: pour warm water on a plate and add a wrapper. Let soak for a few seconds on one side then flip over to soften completely. Place on a counter to fill and roll wrap. Careful they are delicate!

Step 7: divide your shrimp into 4 portions and fill each wrap with vermicelli noodles, shrimp, avocado, cilantro,lettuce, carrots, spring onions and a bit of sauce. Do not over stuff the wrap for best results and do not use too much sauce - you really are looking to take some of the chili and large pieces of sauce with just a few drops of the liquid. If you add to much and make a mess just start with another wrap! You will see how much to add once you do one. Remember understuff and keep all ingredients dry so they will stay together when rolled up.

Step 8: start to roll keeping contents tightly inside. When you roll over once then you can fold sides in. Like making an egg roll continue rolling to finish. The damp wrapper will stick to itself. Continue for all four. Slice in half and serve 2 per person.

I like to squeeze a bit of lime into sliced wrap and using a spoon pour a bit of the sauce into each half as I am eating it. Absolutely yummy!!