These are the best for packing up in damp paper towels and taking for a day out on the boat on the Susquehanna River. I remember trying these when I was younger and I really didn’t like them. But at some point they grew on me and I’m glad because they are very easy to make at home, different than anything else I make, and healthy too! It took me a while to learn how to make these correctly and I still can’t get them as tight as the vietnamese restaurants.

Ingredients

• 8 – 10 Rice Paper Wrappers
• Package of vermicelli rice noodles or bean threads
• Fresh basil leaves, whole
• 1 lb. cooked shrimp, no shells and deveined
• Few leaves of torn lettuce
• Sriracha or Soy for dipping

Directions

1. Cook noodles as per instructions on packaging. Bean threads NEED to be soaked in water until soft. I eventually learned this, the hard way.
2. Soak a rice paper wrapper in water for about 5 – 10 seconds.
3. Lay down a clean dish towel on your counter, and on top of that, place your wet wrapper. Let sit for about a minute, if not pliable and softened, return to water and repeat.
4. Place 3 or 4 shrimp down in a line in middle of wrapper, then a few whole basil leaves, then noodles and finally lettuce.
5. Fold in each of the two ends then roll like up like a burrito, as tight as you can get it. If you have trouble with it sticking, put your finger in some water and “glue” it.
6. Store in refrigerator each rolled separately in damp paper towels.

People sometimes add mint to these as well but I’m not a fan.