Vietnamese rice paper rolls with roasted peanut dipping sauce

Makes 12.

Ingredients

1 cup	Vermicelli, soaked, cut into short lengths
12 sheets	Rice paper
6	Shiitake mushrooms, dried (Main)
2	Carrots, small, peeled and julienned
1 stalk	Celery, julienned
1 cup	Cooked prawn, pork, or chicken, sliced (optional)
1	Cucumber, peeled if necessary, de-seeded and julienned
1	Iceberg lettuce
1 to fry	Oil

Roasted peanut dipping sauce

2 Tbsp	Caster sugar
½ cup	Water, cold
2 Tbsp	Fish sauce
1	Red chilli, finely diced
0 Tbsp	Peanuts, roasted and finely chopped
1 Tbsp	Lime, juice

Directions

1. Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes, squeeze excess water and slice finely.
2. Reserve half the carrot for later. Mix remaining carrot, celery, vermicelli and prawns or meat if used in a bowl with the mushrooms. Dip one rice paper sheet in a bowl of warm water for a moment then lay on a dry surface. When it has softened, place a spoonful of mixture on the side nearest to you, fold in the sides and roll the paper to enclose the filling. Repeat until mixture has finished.
3. Heat oil in a frying pan and shallow fry rolls in batches, drain on paper towels and serve with the cucumber, reserved carrot and lettuce leaves for wrapping, and sauce for dipping. For the sauce, simmer sugar, water, fish sauce, lime juice and chilli stirring until sugar has dissolved then add peanuts and pour into small bowls.