Recipe: Vietnamese Spring Rolls

[Guest guest]

These are well worth the effort to find rice papers. If you can't get

them in your neighborhood, try:

http://asianfoodgrocer.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS & Category=711

I think this store calls them 'spring roll skins'.

 

 

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

 

 

4 ounces thin rice stick or cellophane noodles

½-cup bean sprouts

½-cup grated carrot

½-cup grated daikon or jicama

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

½-cup coarsely chopped dill or mint leaves, or a mixture

3 Tablespoons roasted, unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

12 sheets of rice paper

1 head of soft lettuce, such as Boston lettuce, leaves washed, dried

and cut in half

Chili dipping sauce (see recipe that follows)

 

Soak noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes or until soft and pliable.

Drain, immerse in cold water and drain again. Cut noodles into 2-inch

lengths.

 

In a large bowl, mix noodles with bean sprouts, carrot, daikon or

jicama, garlic, and soy sauce.

 

Working with no more than 2 rice paper sheets at a time, immerse the

rice paper in a shallow bowl of warm water and quickly remove it.

(Letting the rice wrapper sit in the water can result in its

disintegration.) Lay the wrapper on a plate and place about two

Tablespoons of the noodle mixture toward the bottom of the wrapper.

Add a pinch of each herb and a few peanuts (if desired). Fold the

bottom of the wrapper up over the mixture, about a third of the way

up. Tuck sides of the wrapper in and roll up tightly to form a tube.

The damp paper should stick together. Place on a tray or plate and

cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap until all the rice papers are

filled.

 

Cut each roll into three pieces. To eat, wrap roll in lettuce leaf and

dip in chili sauce.

 

 

 

 

 

-----------------

------------------------------

 

Chili Dipping Sauce

(Makes about 1 1/3-cups)

 

2 Tablespoons chopped garlic

2 Tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh chili peppers

¼-cup soy sauce

¼-cup rice vinegar

¾-cup water

2 Tablespoons thinly sliced scallion

 

Combine all ingredients except scallions in a blender and mix until

smooth. Pour in individual dipping bowls and garnish with scallions.

 

 

Jim

 

" Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it is not a

sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy. "

Dick Cheney