• 225 g (8 oz) raw prawns
• 2 tablespoons plus 400 ml (14 fl oz) groundnut (peanut) oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onions
• 110 g (4 oz) minced pork
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce or light soy sauce
• 2–3 tablespoons plain flour
• 2–3 tablespoons water
• 1 packet small rice paper wrappers

Dipping Sauce

• 4 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried chilli powder or flakes
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 4 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Peel the prawns and discard the shells. Using a small sharp knife, remove the fine digestive cord. Wash the prawns in cold water with 1 tablespoon of salt, then rinse well and pat dry with kitchen paper. Now finely chop them.

Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat until it is hot. Add the 2 tablespoons of oil, and when it is very hot and slightly smoking, add the garlic, ginger and spring onions and stir-fry for 1 minute. Then add the pork, salt and pepper and continue to stir-fry for 5 minutes. Now add the chopped prawns and fish sauce and continue to stir-fry for 2 minutes. Drain the mixture in a colander and allow it to cool.

In a small bowl, mix the flour and water together into a paste.

When you are ready to make the spring rolls, fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one of the rice paper rounds in the water and let it soften. Remove and drain it on a linen towel. Put about 2 tablespoons of the filling on the softened wrapper. Fold in each side and then roll it up tightly. Seal the ends with a little of the flour-paste mixture. You should have a roll about 7.5 cm (3 in) long, a little like a small sausage. Repeat the procedure until you have used up all the filling.

Heat the remaining oil in a deep-fat fryer or a large wok until it is hot. Deep-fry the prawn rolls, a few at a time, until golden brown. They have a tendency to stick to each other at the beginning of the frying, so only fry a few at a time. Do not attempt to break them apart during frying: you can do this after they are removed from the oil. Drain them on kitchen paper. Serve at once with dipping sauce.