Fresh Spring Rolls With Thai Dipping Sauce

A few weekends ago we went to Doc Chey's for lunch and curiously ordered their FRESH VIETNAMESE BASIL ROLLS. We were expecting a fried roll but that's not what came to our table. Instead we had a roll that looks like it was rolled in thin white pasta. The rolls were so amazingly good! So I decided to try to find a recipe to make at home.

The wrappers we bought weren't exactly like Doc Chey's but they were still very good. Note: don't soak the wrappers more than a sec or two. If you do they fall apart when you try to roll the goodies in. I did learn, after the fact that Doc Chey's rolls were in rice paper not spring roll wrappers so I might try that next time.

This recipe came with a Thai dipping sauce and, oh my, it was so yummy. I didn't add the ginger to mine because I didn't want it to be spicy and it wasn't. It was very sweet and salty, very good. We served these with the sushi we had but they would go great with some Thai noodles and sauce also. They weren't too good as leftovers so only make what you plan to eat right then.



INGREDIENTS
6 spring roll wrappers (available in Asian markets)
12 medium shrimp, cooked and shelled
1 cup shredded leaf lettuce
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup peeled, seeded, chopped cucumber
1 medium carrot, julienned
Quick Thai Dipping Sauce:
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar or rice vinegar
3 tablespoons mirin
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger root (optional)

DIRECTIONS
In a bowl of cool water, soak a wrapper until limp. Lay wrapper out flat. Place 1/6 of each ingredient down middle of wrapper, starting with lettuce. Fold over each end and tightly roll the wrapper around the contents, as if making a burrito. Moisten at seam; press to close.

Lay on plate, cover with moist paper towel and refrigerate until ready to serve. Then slice in two and serve with Quick Thai Dipping Sauce, below, or peanut sauce.

To make the Quick Thai Dipping Sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl.