No. 09Southeast Asian · Lunch / Snack

Peanut Soba & Shrimp Fresh Rolls

Name: Peanut Soba & Shrimp Fresh Rolls
Yield: 4 (makes about 8 rolls)
Cuisine: Southeast Asian
Ingredients: 8 sheets rice paper; 7 oz buckwheat soba noodles (about ⅔ of a standard pack), cooked al dente; 1 lb shrimp, cooked, peeled, and halved lengthwise; 1 head butter or leaf lettuce, leaves separated; 2 cups cucumber, julienned; 1 red bell pepper, julienned; 2 carrots, julienned; Cilantro, basil, and chives, whole leaves; ½ cup natural peanut butter; 2 tbsp honey; ¼ cup hot water; 3 tbsp minced ginger; 1–2 garlic cloves, minced; 5 tbsp soy sauce; Juice of 1–2 limes; 3 tbsp sesame oil; Salt, to taste; Chili flakes or sriracha, to taste

How to eat a salad without it feeling like a salad. Same soba, shrimp and crunchy veg as my cold peanut soba salad, rolled up in rice paper and dunked in the peanut sauce. It's my go-to work-from-home lunch or afternoon picnic: a little fiddly the first time, then pure rhythm. Soak, pile, roll, repeat. Vegetables: handled. Sad desk salad: avoided.

Weekday & Prep Jump to recipe

A peanut soba and shrimp fresh roll cut in half to show the cross-section, on a white plate with a dollop of peanut dipping sauce — Shot on my phone.No. 09

Serves: 4 (makes about 8 rolls)
Total: 30 min
Hands-on: 30 min
Season: Summer

Method

Cook the soba. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles just to al dente, per the package. Drain, rinse under cool water, and set aside. (Skip this if you're using leftovers from the salad.)
Make the dipping sauce. Whisk the peanut butter, honey, and hot water until smooth, then whisk in the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, lime juice, and sesame oil. Season with salt and chili to taste.
Soak one sheet. Fill a shallow pan with about 2 inches of hot water. Slide in a single sheet of rice paper and soak about 30 seconds. Go by feel. You want it pliable but not super floppy. Lay it flat on a plate.
Fill the lower third. Leaving about 1 inch of bare paper around the edges, lay a few pieces of shrimp across the lower third, then a small handful of noodles, a piece of lettuce, the julienned veg, and a few herb leaves.
Roll it up. Fold the bottom edge up and over the filling, rolling upward just until it's snugly enclosed. Fold in the two short sides, then continue rolling to seal.
Repeat with the remaining sheets. Keep the finished rolls from touching so they don't stick.
Serve with the peanut sauce for dipping and extra lime.

From my kitchen

Halving the shrimp lengthwise makes them thinner and easier to roll, and they show through the paper, which looks pretty.
One sheet at a time. Rice paper turns sticky and tears the moment it sits too long.
Don't oversoak. The paper keeps softening on the plate, so pull it while it's still slightly firm.
Rolls are best fresh, but they'll hold a few hours in the fridge under a damp paper towel so they don't dry out.