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Bao Buns
Vivian Chan-Tam
91 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
91
2 hours 25 minutes
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Toss the rice with 1 tablespoon of the rice vinegar and the soy sauce
Place the shredded carrots, peppers, sesame seeds and chopped herbs in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of the rice vinegar and salt to taste. Place the lettuce in another bowl and toss with the remaining vinegar and salt to taste.
Fill a bowl with warm water and place a spring roll wrapper in it just until it is pliable, about 30 seconds. Remove from the water and drain briefly on a kitchen towel. Place the wrapper on your work surface in front of you and arrange several whole mint, cilantro and basil leaves, vein side up, on the wrapper. Arrange 3 shrimp halves, cut side up, down the middle of the wrapper, leaving a 2-inch margin on the sides. Top with a handful of the carrot mixture, then with a handful of lettuce. Place a handful of rice over the lettuce. Fold the sides in, then roll up the spring rolls tightly, squeezing the filling to get a tight roll. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with a dipping sauce of your choice.
Could not find red rice so used hirame, a Japanese yam noodle. Served with Thai chile paste, soy/vinegar mixture, and a spicy peanut sauce and they were delicious. However, what a LOT of work -- 1-2 hours including deveining shrimp, prepping all the veg, and the rolling of these things takes time to get the hang of.
Very delicious recipe, but if you have high quality aromatic shrimp, swap out the otherwise overpowering bell pepper for something more subtle like sugar peas!
For a “pot luck” type dinner, a group of us did “roll your own” spring rolls. Divided up amongst the group, the preparation was very simple and not so much work. It was great fun.
Could not find red rice so used hirame, a Japanese yam noodle. Served with Thai chile paste, soy/vinegar mixture, and a spicy peanut sauce and they were delicious. However, what a LOT of work -- 1-2 hours including deveining shrimp, prepping all the veg, and the rolling of these things takes time to get the hang of.
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