Vietnamese Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce

To make the peanut sauce, in a small saucepan over medium, combine the oil, garlic and pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until the garlic sizzles. Stir in the peanut butter and hoisin, then whisk in ½ cup water a little at a time. Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat.

Transfer to a small bowl, then whisk in the lime juice, fish sauce and Sriracha. Taste and add more hoisin if you prefer a sweeter sauce, then cool completely. If desired, thin the sauce with up to 2 tablespoons water. (The sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

To make the summer rolls, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Add the shrimp to the boiling water, then remove the pan from the heat. Let stand until the shrimp are opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to the ice water to cool; reserve the saucepan and water. Drain the shrimp and pat dry. Transfer to a cutting board and cut each one in half horizontally (head to tail); set aside. Return the water to a boil.

Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain in a colander, rinse under cold running water until completely cooled, then drain again.

Mist a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, then line with plastic wrap and lightly mist with cooking spray. Set a wide bowl of warm water nearby, along with the noodles, lettuce, carrots, mint and shrimp.

Soak 1 rice paper wrapper in the warm water until starting to soften, about 5 seconds. Lay it flat on a cutting board or countertop. Press down on the spine of 1 lettuce leaf to flatten it, then place the leaf horizontally on the bottom third of the rice paper, tearing it to fit and leaving a 1-inch border on the bottom and sides. Top the lettuce with about ¼ cup (1 ounce) noodles, about 1 tablespoon shredded carrots and some of the mint, distributing the ingredients evenly along the lettuce. Bring the lower part of the wrapper up over the filling and roll tightly just until the filling is enclosed and forms a cylinder. Place 4 shrimp halves, cut sides up and end to end, on the wrapper just above the cylinder. Fold in the sides of the wrapper and continue rolling to enclose the shrimp.

Set the roll on the prepared baking sheet and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining rice paper wrappers and filling ingredients. Serve right away or cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 hours. Serve with the peanut sauce.