Vietnamese Cold Rolls
As mentioned in the ingredients, you will need dried crisp onion. This can be found in the asian food section of your local grocery store, usually near the spices. It's a bag of fried crispy onion bits. Alternatively you can fry your own onion, but unless you take the time to bake it dry at low temperatures after you fry it in oil,it will never be dry by the time you use it. Alternatively again, you can use a few onion rings, chopped up.
Take the chicken, chop it into bite sized pieces, and fry it in a frying pan on medium high temperature with 2 tbsp cooking oil, the crushed garlic, and the oyster sauce. Cook until cooked through and brown and slightly crisp. Put aside in a bowl.
Take your precooked shrimp, and cut them in half lengthwise. Put aside in a bowl.
Cut your cilantro or chop your cucumber. Pieces should not be too large nor too small. Put aside in a bowl.
Peel your carrot, then grate it using a cheese grater. Put aside in a bowl.
Blanch your bean sprouts. This means boil them in a pot of water for 30 seconds. Put aside in a bowl.
Boil your vermicelli noodles in a pot of water until cooked through. Drain the hot water and cool the noodles by running cold water over them until cool to the touch. This will keep them from sticking together when you use them later. Drain them until dry. Put aside in a bowl.
Fill a large frying pan 1/2 full with water and carefully place on a stove burner. Turn on and bring to a very light boil. As you finish cooking these rolls, you may need to refill this frying pan from time to time to avoid too much evaporation.
Rice paper wrappers can be found in the asian food section of your grocery store. They are dry, non refridgerated. They look like large white thin crackers.
The following part may result in your fingers being burned. Be cautious. I have found that triple layering 3 pairs of thin clean latex gloves helps significantly. You may also use a pair of forks to help fish the wrappers from the water. In either instance, you will need to touch the wrappers right out of the water and they can be hot.
Place one wrapper at a time in the boiling pan. press down on it so the entire wrapper submerges. The wrapper cooks in literally a couple seconds. It will soften and become pliable. Pick it out of the water. Cook it too long and it will tear, or bunch. Try not to tear it. Use your forks, or your fingers (where the gloves help). Spread the wrapper so it does not stick to itself as best as you can and place it on an empty plate. Alternatively some people find cooking two wrappers at a time prevents them from tearing, and then they roll both wrappers as one roll. In that case, use double the wrappers listed.
In the centre of the wrapper fill it with approximately 2 tbsp of the vermicelli noodles, 1 tbsp of the sprouts, 2 slices of shrimp, 3 pieces of chicken, 1/2 tsp of cilantro or cucumber, 1/2 tsp of shredded carrot, and 1/2 tsp of the onion or onion substitute.
The wrapper should be cool by now. The fillings you put into the wrapper should also be cool. this dish is served at room temperature. Lift one end of the wrapper and carefully fold it over the filling. Tuck it under the filling. Fold the two sides in. Then roll the wrapper forward until it is rolled. The wrapper sticks to itself and should hold the filling inside. Carefull move the roll to your serving tray.
Repeat for up to roughly 25 rolls.
Served well with a hot chilie sauce and crushed peanuts on the side as toppings.
Dish and serve and enjoy!