Vietnamese Soft Rolls With Crab - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb cooked crabmeat (imitation crab may also be used)
1 lb fresh asparagus, ends snapped,woody stems trimmed
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1/4 cup water
1 head red leaf lettuce
1 cup alfalfa sprout
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup fresh basil leaf
1 cup fresh cilantro stem
1 package rice paper sheet (banh trang)
paper towels
For the Hoisin Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
sesame oil, few drops
1 tablespoon chopped peanuts
For the Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 lime, juice of

Preparation

Mix together ingredients for the nuoc cham sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
Mix together all ingredients for Hoisin dipping sauce EXCEPT chopped peanuts in a small saucepan.
Bring mixture to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer for five minutes.
Cool Hoisin dipping sauce to room temperature, garnish with chopped peanuts, and set aside.
Het oil in a large skillet, add asparagus and cook for one minute.
Add water and cook, covered, for three minutes more; remove from heat.
Note: crab is meant to be chilled and asparagus is meant to be cooled down to room temperature when building rolls.
Fill a large bowl with warm water (deep enough to submerge a rice paper).
Dip one rice paper at a time while building soft rolls, just till it becomes pliable; remove from water and blot on paper toweling.
To build roll, on softened rice paper, place a lettuce leaf with margins on all sides (except top is ok).
Top lettuce with one ounce of crab, one piece of asparagus, a couple of pinches of alfalfa sprouts and shredded carrots, a fresh basil leaf, and a couple of cilantro sprigs.
Fold bottom edge of rice paper up over filling, then wrap right side over filling and roll up tightly into a bundle.
Place on serving platter covered with a damp paper towel while preparing remaining rolls.
Serve at once with dipping sauces and hot chile paste (sambal oelek), if desired.