Ingredients

pinch of salt
1/2 pound pork (ham cut)
15 medium-size shrimp (peeled and deveined)
3 cups vermicelli rice noodles
1 package large Vietnamese rice papers
3 cups fresh greens
medium-size kitchen towel (clean)
Tuong (Vietnamese Peanut Sauce)
2 cups water
1 cup hoisin sauce (sweet and spicy Chinese condiment)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
chopped peanuts (for garnish)

Preparation

Fill a medium-size pot half way with water and bring to a boil on high heat. Add a pinch of salt. Place pork in water and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until cooked (depending on size of pork, it may take longer). Check for doneness with an instant-read thermometer (165˚F for pork) or by poking pork with a toothpick. If meat still looks red, cook for another 5 minutes. About 5 minutes before pork is finished, add shrimp to the pot and finish pork and shrimp at the same time. Remove pork and shrimp and let cool. Slice pork into thin pieces and cut shrimp lengthwise. Presoak vermicelli in warm tap water for 10 to 15 minutes then add to boiling water and cook for another 2 minutes. Rinse in cold water until cooled; drain well.

Fill a large bowl with hot water (the hotter the water, the better the rice paper will be, but don’t burn yourself ). Hold two pieces of rice paper, overlapping, and place in the hot water. Make sure the papers are completely soaked then remove quickly. Shake off excess water and place on clean towel for rolling. Place a piece of sliced pork and three pieces of shrimp on the rice papers. Add some noodles and fresh greens. Make sure you spread out the noodles and greens so that the length of the finished roll is at least 4 inches long. Fold the two sides of the rice paper up to the edge of the noodles and greens. At the other end of the rice paper, start rolling to the the other end. Make sure to keep your fingers tight on the rice paper to insure a firm roll. Serve spring rolls with peanut sauce. Makes 8 rolls to serve 4.

In a small pot, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add hoisin and peanut butter to water and reduce heat to medium. Let sauce come slowly to a boil on medium heat. Make sure to stir constantly or sauce will burn. Once sauce has reached boiling, add cornstarch mixture and stir swiftly for two minutes. Remove from heat and let sauce cool to room temperature before serving. Sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Serve with chopped peanuts.

This recipe courtesy of Taylor Hoang, owner Pho Cyclo Restaurant in Seattle, WA.