Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Step 1: Combine the peanut dipping sauce ingredients. Mix briefly; the mixture will not come together yet. Microwave for 30 seconds, then mix until smooth. Set aside to cool. Adjust the sourness with vinegar, the salt with salt, and the spiciness to taste. Once cooled, adjust the thickness with milk or water.

Step 2: Place the vermicelli noodles in a bowl and cover with warm water for 2 minutes, then drain, or follow the packet instructions.

Step 3: Peel the prawns, slice them in half lengthwise and devein them.

Step 4: Remove the crunchy cores from the lettuce leaves.

Step 5: Place some vermicelli noodles and bean sprouts in a lettuce leaf. Roll it up, finishing seam-side down. Repeat to make the lettuce bundles.

Tip: Bundling the filling in lettuce helps keep it together for rolling.

Step 6: Fill a large bowl with warm water. The bowl does not need to be large enough to fit a whole rice-paper sheet at once.

Step 7: If using two rice-paper sheets, place them together and note which side is smooth; this is meant to be the outside of the roll. Submerge both sheets together in the water for 2 seconds. If the bowl is too small to fit the whole sheets, rotate them and count 2 seconds for each section as you submerge it.

Step 8: Place the rice-paper sheets, one on top of the other, on a board or countertop with the smooth side down. The sheets will stick together.

Step 9: On the top part of the rice paper, place 3 prawns with a mint leaf between each, as shown in the recipe photo.

Step 10: Place a lettuce bundle seam-side down in the middle of the rice paper.

Step 11: Fold the left and right edges of the rice paper in. Starting from the bottom, roll it up to cover the lettuce bundle, then continue rolling firmly. The sticky rice paper will seal itself.

Step 12: Arrange the filling so the prawns and mint leaves show through the smooth side of the finished roll, with the seam at the side or underneath.

Step 13: Serve immediately with the peanut dipping sauce.