Ingredients
2 Japanese cucumbers
1 teaspoon olive oil
30 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons mirin (Japanese rice wine)
2 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar
4 ounces rice vermicelli
2 teaspoons coarse salt
30 basil leaves (about 1 small bunch), preferably Thai basil
Cucumber-Peanut Sauce
Preparation
Slice cucumbers paper-thin lengthwise with a mandoline. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, 1 tablespoon mirin, and 1 tablespoon vinegar; cook until shrimp are pink and opaque, and liquid is reduced. Set aside.
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add vermicelli and salt, and cook until noodles are tender, about 3 minutes. Drain in a colander, and rinse with cold water. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with remaining tablespoon mirin and tablespoon vinegar.
Lay a cucumber strip flat on a work surface. Straighten shrimp slightly by pulling the ends. Place a small bundle of noodles on top of a large basil leaf; place at one end of cucumber. Top with a shrimp, and roll cucumber around it tightly. Secure roll with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve with cucumber-peanut sauce.
