Rice Paper Spring Rolls with Shrimp and Vegetables

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make rice paper spring rolls with shrimp and vegetables? Gather all the ingredients. Which shrimp should you use? King or tiger prawns are convenient to wrap, but regular shrimp work too. Choose the vegetables to your taste as well. I used carrot, cucumber, red onion, lettuce leaves, and cherry tomatoes.

2. Step 2:

   

   Take the shrimp out of the freezer ahead of time and leave them at room temperature until fully thawed. If you're short on time, I usually cover the shrimp with cool water and leave them like that for 15–30 minutes. Peel the shrimp, removing the shells, heads, and tails. There's a dark vein running along the back of each shrimp — remove that too. Blot the peeled shrimp with paper towels to get rid of excess moisture.

3. Step 3:

   

   Heat refined vegetable oil in a skillet. Add the two peeled garlic cloves and leave them over high heat for a few seconds, until they take on a slightly golden color. Once the oil has soaked up the garlic aroma, you're ready for the next step.

4. Step 4:

   

   Add the shrimp to the garlic oil and fry them on one side until halfway done.

5. Step 5:

   

   Then flip them and cook until done. Look for the shrimp turning pink and curling into rings. If you overcook shrimp, they turn tough and rubbery.

6. Step 6:

   

   Prep the vegetables. Peel the onion and carrot and rinse everything under cold running water. I used red onion in this recipe to make the finished roll look more colorful and contrasting. You could use shallots, sweet white onion, or young green onions — these milder types are perfect for the vegetable filling.

7. Step 7:

   

   Grate the carrot on a Korean-carrot (julienne) grater. Cut the cucumber and onion into thin slivers, and slice the cherry tomatoes thin.

8. Step 8:

   

   Dip a sheet of rice paper in cold water for a few seconds. Once it softens, carefully lay it flat on your work surface.

9. Step 9:

   

   Arrange three shrimp in the middle of the sheet.

10. Step 10:

    

    Next, add a layer of lettuce leaves.

11. Step 11:

    

    Add some carrot, then the cucumber and onion.

12. Step 12:

    

    Then the cherry tomatoes.

13. Step 13:

    

    Fold the bottom of the wrapper up over the filling and fold in the sides, as shown in the photo.

14. Step 14:

    

    Then roll it up. In short, you roll these the same way you would stuffed cabbage rolls or filled crêpes.

15. Step 15:

    

    Roll up the remaining rolls the same way. Before serving, sprinkle them with sesame seeds if you like. Done — you can serve them!

16. Step 16:

    

    Sometimes I fry the finished spring rolls in the leftover garlic oil for a few seconds on each side.

17. Step 17:

    

    That comes out really interesting and delicious too!