Recipe courtesy of Aarti Sequeira

Vietnamese-Inspired Shrimp Spring Roll Tacos

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  • Level: Intermediate
  • Total: 1 hr 15 min
  • Active: 1 hr 10 min
  • Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

Mexican Peanut-Chile Sauce (Salsa Macha):

Nuoc Cham:

Spring Roll Tacos:

Directions

  1. For the Mexican peanut-chile sauce: Set a medium saucepan over medium heat, then pour in the oil. Drop in the peanuts and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the peanuts begin to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the sesame and cumin seeds and cook, keeping a close eye on it and stirring often, until the sesame seeds turn golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add the chipotle powder and saute for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat and immediately pour everything into a blender. Add the warm water, rice vinegar and brown sugar. Pop the lid on, and use a kitchen towel to hold it down. Blend until the mixture is nearly smooth (see Cook's Note). Spoon into a bowl and set aside.
  2. For the nuoc cham: Stir together the warm water, fish sauce, lime juice, granulated sugar, rice vinegar and salt in a bowl. Add the carrots and cucumber and set aside.
  3. For the spring roll tacos: Set a medium saucepan of water over high heat and let it come to a boil. Add the ginger and some salt, then carefully add the shrimp. Stir, then allow to cook until opaque, about 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp to a plate using a slotted spoon.
  4. Allow the water to come back to a boil, then add the noodles and turn the heat off. Allow to sit until the noodles are tender but not mushy, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the noodles to a bowl using tongs or a spider and set aside. Bring the water back to a boil and cook the tortillas one at a time, cooking for 1 minute each.
  5. To make a taco, spread a tablespoon or so of the peanut-chile sauce on a tortilla. Place some noodles on top followed by the carrots and cucumber in nuoc cham. Top with 3 shrimp and the cilantro and mint leaves. Serve!