Prawn summer rolls

Before you start

• a wide shallow bowl of warm water, and a damp tea towel to roll on
• made the same day — they dry and crack in the fridge overnight

Ingredients

Serves 2 · dimmer marks are storecupboard

• 200gprawns
• 8 sheetsrice paper
• 40grice vermicelli
• 25gpeanut butter
• 1 handfullettuce leaves
• 1 large handfulmint and coriander
• 1carrot
• 1cucumber
• 2spring onions
• 1 tbspsoy sauce
• 1lime
• 1chillies

Method

6 steps

1. boil · 6m

   Prawns into simmering salted water until they curl and go completely opaque right through, two or three minutes, then into cold water and split in half lengthways so they lie flat.

2. soak · 7m walk away

   Vermicelli in just-boiled water until soft, then rinsed cold and drained — warm noodles steam the wrapper from the inside.

3. chop · 8m

   Carrot and cucumber into fine matchsticks, lettuce torn to roughly wrapper width, herbs picked whole rather than chopped, spring onion halved lengthways.

4. fold · 15m

   One sheet into the warm water for three seconds and straight onto the damp towel while it is still stiff. Prawns laid cut-side down a third of the way up, herbs over them, then noodles and vegetables, sides folded in and rolled tight. The paper finishes softening as you work.

5. fold · 4m

   Peanut butter let down with hot water, soy, lime, a pinch of sugar and the chopped chilli, stirred until it pours slowly off the spoon.

6. finish · 2m

   Kept under a damp cloth until they are eaten, and not stacked touching — bare rice paper glues itself to bare rice paper and both rolls tear.