Ingredients

  • Spring rolls
  • 1 knob ginger
  • 1 stalk lemongrass
  • 1 pound pork belly
  • 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
  • 1 (8-ounce) package vermicelli rice noodles
  • 2 cucumbers, thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 1 bunch Thai basil, stemmed
  • 1 bunch mint, stemmed
  • 1 bunch cilantro, stemmed
  • 1 (1-pound) package egg roll wrappers
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • Vegetable oil, for deep frying
  • 1 (12-ounce) package rice paper
  • 1 bunch chives

  • Dipping sauce
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon minced shallot
  • 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 1 teaspoon creamy peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar

    Directions

  1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the ginger, lemongrass, and pork belly and cook for 30 minutes. Transfer the pork belly to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes, then slice thinly and set aside. Discard the ginger and lemongrass.
  2. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a cutting board and cut each shrimp in half lengthwise.
  3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the vermicelli noodles and cook until tender, 4–5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
  4. Roll each egg roll wrapper in a tight roll and seal with the beaten egg. Heat the vegetable oil in a small pot over medium heat and fry the rolled-up egg rolls wrappers until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
  5. To make the dipping sauce, in a small skillet, sauté the garlic and shallot over medium heat until translucent. Add the hoisin sauce, peanut butter, sugar, sriracha, and vinegar and cook until thick, 10–15 minutes.
  6. Moisten 1 sheet of rice paper and lay on a cutting board. Add 2 slices of pork, a little bit of the noodles, a slice of cucumber, some of each type of herb leaves, 1 egg roll wrapper, 4 shrimp halves (pink side facing outward), and 1 chive. Roll and gently press outward away from you.
  7. Midway through the roll, fold each left and right side into the center of the spring roll and continue to roll outward to complete the roll. Ladle the sauce into a small bowl for dipping.