Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls (Gỏi Cuốn) — Shrimp, Pork, Herbs, and Peanut Sauce

• 240 gpork belly (skin-on or skinless, in one thick piece)
• 2 lwater
• 1shallot (halved)
• 1 inchfresh ginger (sliced)
• 2 tspkosher salt
• 12large shrimp (shell-on, deveined if possible)
• 120 gfine rice vermicelli (dry weight)
• 8rice paper wrappers (22 cm round sheets)
• 8butter lettuce leaves (tough ribs trimmed)
• 120 gcucumber (cut into thin batons)
• 24 leaffresh mint
• 16 leafThai basil
• 16 sprigcilantro (tender sprigs)
• 8garlic chives (optional but traditional in southern-style rolls)
• 2 tspneutral oil
• 1 clovegarlic (finely minced)
• 80 mlhoisin sauce
• 45 gsmooth peanut butter
• 90 mlreserved pork cooking liquid
• 15 mlrice vinegar
• 8 ggranulated sugar
• 10 gchile-garlic sauce (optional for medium heat)
• 20 groasted peanuts (crushed, for topping)

Instructions

1. 1

   Place the pork belly in a saucepan with 2 l water, the shallot, ginger, and kosher salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, skim the surface, and cook for 20 minutes, or until the pork is firm and cooked through but not falling apart.

2. 2

   Lift the pork onto a plate and reserve 90 ml of the cooking liquid for the sauce. Let the pork cool for 10 minutes, then slice it across the grain into thin pieces about 3 mm thick so each roll gets a balanced strip of meat.

3. 3

   Return the same pot of cooking liquid to a simmer and add the shrimp. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the shells turn pink and the flesh is opaque, then transfer the shrimp to a bowl of cold water for 2 minutes.

4. 4

   Peel the shrimp and slice each shrimp in half lengthwise along the back. Keep the cut sides neat, because the shrimp will be placed against the rice paper as the visible top layer of each roll.

5. 5

   Cook the rice vermicelli according to the package directions, usually 3 to 5 minutes in boiling water. Drain, rinse under cool running water, and let it drain thoroughly so excess water does not make the rolls loose.

6. 6

   Make the peanut-hoisin sauce by warming the neutral oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then stir in the hoisin sauce, peanut butter, reserved pork cooking liquid, rice vinegar, sugar, and chile-garlic sauce until smooth and glossy.

7. 7

   Simmer the sauce for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it lightly thickens and tastes rounded rather than raw. Spoon it into a dipping bowl and top it with the crushed roasted peanuts just before serving.

8. 8

   Set up a rolling station with a shallow bowl of warm water, a clean damp towel, the rice paper wrappers, noodles, pork, shrimp, lettuce, cucumber, herbs, and garlic chives. Dip one wrapper in warm water for 2 to 3 seconds only, then lay it flat on the damp towel and wait briefly until pliable.

9. 9

   Place 1 lettuce leaf on the lower third of the wrapper, then add 15 g cooked noodles, a few cucumber batons, 3 mint leaves, 2 basil leaves, 2 cilantro sprigs, and several slices of pork. Fold the bottom of the wrapper over the filling and roll once firmly to compact the ingredients without tearing the paper.

10. 10

    Place 3 shrimp halves cut-side down in a row above the partly rolled bundle, then fold in the sides of the wrapper. Add 1 garlic chive with the green tip extending slightly from one end if using, and finish rolling snugly so the shrimp show through the top.

11. 11

    Repeat with the remaining wrappers and fillings, keeping finished rolls under a lightly damp towel for no more than 30 minutes before serving. Serve whole or halved on a platter with the peanut-hoisin sauce alongside.