Name: Saigon summer rolls
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients: 3 pcs rice paper; 37.5 g rice noodles; 75 g shrimp; 62.5 g pork leg; 0.25 pcs cucumber; 0.25 pcs carrot; 0.5 pcs spring onion; 0.25 handful coriander; 0.25 handful mint; 0.375 l water; 0.25 teaspoon salt; 15 ml fish sauce; 0.25 pcs lime; 0.5 tablespoon cane sugar; 15 ml water; 0.25 clove garlic; 0.25 pcs chilli peppers; peanuts

Step by step process

Preparation

1
For the Saigon spring rolls, clean and peel the shrimp and remove the dark vein. Rinse and pat the pork leg dry. Peel the carrot and cut it into thin strips, remove the watery core of the cucumber and cut it into thin strips, and slice the spring onion thinly on the diagonal.
2
Rinse the herbs in cold water and dry them well so they don't dampen the rice paper while wrapping.
3
Nuoc cham sauce: in a bowl combine the fish sauce, water and lime juice, add the cane sugar and stir until it fully dissolves. Stir in the pressed garlic and finely chopped chilli and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Cooking

4
Bring plenty of water to the boil in a pot, salt it and add the pork leg. Simmer gently for 20-25 minutes until tender, then remove, let it cool and slice as thinly as possible.
TIP:
Cooking meat in salted water at a gentle simmer preserves its juiciness and ensures even cooking. The salt also subtly seasons the meat.
5
Add the shrimp to clean, lightly salted boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes until pink. Drain through a sieve, cool under cold water and cut each shrimp in half lengthwise.
TIP:
Briefly boil the shrimp in salted boiling water until they turn pink. Immediately cool them down with cold water to stop the cooking process and keep the shrimp juicy and firm.
6
Cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions (usually 2-3 minutes), drain and rinse under cold water so they don't stick together. Let them drain well.

Assembly

7
A shallow bowl of warm water to soften the rice paper. Briefly (3-5 seconds) dip each sheet, transfer it to a board and let it soften for a few seconds.
TIP:
Soak rice paper in lukewarm water for only 3-5 seconds to keep it flexible and prevent curling. Soaking for too long causes tearing or sticking.
8
Place a small nest of noodles in the centre, a few strips of carrot and cucumber, a little spring onion, a few mint and coriander leaves, two shrimp halves and 2-3 thin slices of pork.
9
Fold the bottom edge over the filling, tuck both side edges inwards and roll up tightly into a cylinder. Wrap all the rolls the same way.
10
You can halve the rolls diagonally, arrange them on a plate, sprinkle with chopped peanuts and serve with bowls of nuoc cham sauce.