Layering the crabmeat first in these summer rolls (often mislabeled as spring rolls in America) lets you see it through the translucent wrapper.
Ingredient
Nuoc Cham
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/2 Thai red chile, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted and ground sesame seeds
1 tablespoon minced scallion
1 1/2 teaspoons minced cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons minced mint
Rolls
4 ounces rice noodles
Boiling water
20 (8-inch) round rice paper wrappers
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over
1/2 English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into julienne
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
2 cups mung bean sprouts
2 cups mint leaves
2 cups cilantro leaves
1/2 cup crushed roasted salted peanuts, plus more for sprinkling
10 scallions, halved lengthwise, trimmed to 10 inches
Hoisin sauce and Sriracha, for serving
Direction
In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients.
In a medium, deep baking dish, cover the noodles with boiling water and let stand until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels.
Fill a large, shallow bowl with very hot water (not boiling). Soak 1 rice paper wrapper in the water until just pliable, about 30 seconds. Spread on a work surface. Top the wrapper with some of the crab, noodles, cucumber, lettuce, bean sprouts, mint, cilantro and peanuts. Tightly fold the wrapper over the filling, tuck in the sides and roll up halfway. Lay a scallion half across the wrapper with 1 inch of overhang on both sides and tightly roll up. Transfer to a platter and cover with a damp paper towel. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and fillings. Serve the rolls with the nuoc cham and a bowl of hoisin sauce sprinkled with Sriracha and peanuts.