Shrimp Spring Roll Bowls

If you love fresh spring rolls with noodles, cucumber, carrot and a lovely spicy dipping sauce, you will love these shrimp spring roll bowls! They are so tasty and easy to make! 

One of my favorite things to eat are these fresh shrimp spring rolls but they are fiddly to put together. First, you have to cook the shrimp flat so they fit in the roll. Then there's the whole soaking the rice paper wrapper till it's pliant enough but not TOO soft so it rips. A labor of love that always felt worth it, till now. 

When our Sunday FunDay host chose "meals in bowls" as our theme today, it occurred to me that, truly, the rice paper wrapper is completely unnecessary unless, of course, you need finger food. 

If you are eating at home and have a table and a fork (spoon also helpful!), the bowls make a wonderful, fresh meal. This revelation is a game changer for me and I don’t think I’ll make rolls again! Not having to wrap the filling meant I could also add some carrots and radishes. All in all, these bowls were a good decision. 

Shrimp Spring Roll Bowls

The noodles used in these bowls are called bean thread noodles or sometimes glass noodles. They are made of mung beans. They are not the same as rice noodles but you’ll find those two noodle types together at many grocery stores in the international aisle or in any Asian market. Depending on the level of heat you enjoy, use all bird’s eye chili peppers or a combo of the bigger less hot chili peppers and the bird’s eye ones. 

Ingredients to serve 2 generously (we both had a little bit leftover)

3 bundles bean thread noodles (about 5 1/3 oz or 150g)

8 large shrimp, peeled and cleaned

fine sea salt

1 small carrot (about 40g), cut in thin strips

1/4 long cucumber (115g), seeded removed, cut in sticks

Small bunch cilantro leaves

1 green onion, thinly sliced

4 French radishes or their round equivalent

For those of you wondering how I got the carrots this thin, here's the tool I used. It looks kind of like a peeler but it cuts the carrot into thin strips. I have no idea what it's called but I love it. 

For the sauce/dressing:

3 hot red chili peppers, minced

1/2 cup or 120ml rice vinegar 

1/2 cup or 120ml water

1/3 cup or 75g sugar

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 

To serve:

Fish sauce, optional - we like the little bit of extra flavor and saltiness it adds to these shrimp spring roll bowls. 

Method 

Put the noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover them with boiling water. 

Leave to soak for a few minutes then tip into a colander and rinse well with cold water. Set aside in the colander to drain. 

Cut the shrimp into pieces and lightly salt them.  Cook in a small skillet till cooked through. 

To make the sauce, chop your peppers finely.

Put all the sauce ingredients into a small pot. 

Bring to a boil and then simmer, uncovered, until it is reduced to one-third of the original amount. Turn the fire off. It will thicken even more as it cools. 

Cut the noodles with scissors to make them easier to eat. Put them in a large bowl and pour the warm sauce over them and stir to combine. 

At this point, you can finish assembling the bowls or you can cover and refrigerate the noodles to assemble later. 

To assemble the bowls, divide the noodles into two bowls. Add the cucumber and carrot sticks, the cilantro leaves, shrimp, green onion and radishes. Finish with a drizzle of fish sauce, if desired. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are all sharing “meals in bowls.” Check out the links below. Many thanks to our host, Mayuri from Mayuri’s Jikoni.

• Shredded Beef Taco Bowls from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Greek Chicken Rice Bowls from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Saffron Bulgur Bowl from Palatable Pastime
• Tofu and Sprouted Moong Buddha Bowl from Cook with Renu
• Shrimp Spring Roll Bowls from Food Lust People Love
• Cheesy Rice Bowl - Cafe McDonalds Style from Sneha’s Recipe
• Baked Falafel Bowl from Mayuri’s Jikoni

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