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Vietnamese
fresh spring rolls are essentially nifty little self-contained
salads-to-go -- crisp raw veggies and minced fresh herbs, along
with grilled fish, cooked shrimp, pork, fried tofu or whatever
else suits your fancy, all neatly packaged up in a deliciously
chewy-soft, pliable rice paper wrapping that you can snatch up and
eat with your hands (or chopsticks, if you’re feeling
civilized). They’re delicious, refreshingly cool, and fun to
make … and just perfect for a light summer meal, or a dinner
party hors-d’oeuvre. |
You’ll need to make
a trip to an Asian market for some of the ingredients, notably the rice
paper rounds and rice vermicelli that are two of the essentials for this
recipe. Rice paper rounds are frequently labeled banh trang, and
generally come in a round plastic container. The rounds are hard, brittle
and semi-translucent when you buy them, and studded with little hash marks
all over the surface. (The texture comes from the bamboo surface against
which the rice dough is pressed in order to form the rounds.) Look for
them near the noodle section of the market, along with the rice
vermicelli. You can substitute bean threads/bean vermicelli if you like.
The rice paper rounds
are fairly delicate once they’re soaked and softened for use, so be
prepared to tear a few in the process of wrapping before you really get
the hang of it. Once you’ve figured out exactly how much filling your
wrappers can handle, however, making the rolls is a breeze.
The beauty of these
spring rolls is that you can you just about any ingredients you like. Substitute
the grilled fish with fried tofu for a vegetarian version; use snow
peas and crisp bean sprouts instead of the carrots and cucumbers.
Spring
Roll Ingredients:
12 rice paper rounds
(banh trang)
3 oz. rice vermicelli, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, till soft
1 lb of cat fish filet
1/2 small head green leaf, red leaf or romaine lettuce (about 10-12
leaves)
2 carrots
1 large cucumber
1/4 cup of any or all of the following fresh herbs: thai basil, mint,
cilantro (I like to use mostly basil, with a smattering of mint in the
mix, but use whatever suits your taste)
3 stalks scallions
Serves:
4 as light main
dish, 12 as appetizer
How
to make Spring Roll
1
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the rice noodles and cook for a minute or so. Drain
and rinse in cool water.
2
Grill, or steam the fish filet; slice it into small strips at the size of
your finger..
3
Peel apart the lettuce leaves and slice into thin strips. Peel and
julienne the carrots and cucumber; mince up the herbs and scallions.
4
You’ll need a large bowl or pan, big enough to accommodate the rice
paper round. Fill with warm water, and soak one wrapper for around a
minute or so, until it’s soft and pliable.
5
Lay the wrapper on a plate or other flat surface. You’ll be placing your
ingredients in the bottom half of the wrapper – if this is your first
time making spring rolls, it’s a good idea to start with smaller
quantities.
Begin with a small
handful of lettuce in the bottom third of the wrapper, and add an
approximately equal amount of rice noodle. Top with a neat row of
cucumbers and another neat row of carrots. Lay a row of fish strips close to
the middle of the wrapper. Sprinkle with some of the herb
mixture.
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6
Fold up the bottom, then the two sides; continue rolling up,
keeping the wrapper firmly around the ingredients to get a good
roll, but being careful not to tug too tightly so as to avoid
tearing the wrapper. Place the roll seam side down.
7
Continue making the rolls. Unfortunately, the rolls don’t keep
well, so serve them straight away*, with plenty of dipping sauce.
If you’re serving them as an appetizer, you can cut the rolls in
half using a sharp knife.
*If you
absolutely must make them ahead of time, place them in an airtight
container lined with damp towel and store at cool room
temperature, not in the fridge. These will keep for an hour or
two.
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Like any salad,
Vietnamese spring rolls need a dressing to bring out the fresh flavors of
the ingredients. You can use Hoisin-chili
dipping sauce or
Nuoc Mam Sauce
These
spicy-sweet sauces makes the perfect dipping sauces to accompany fresh
spring rolls.
Hoisin-chili
dipping sauce (use
this sauce for a vegetarian version)
Ingredients
1 shallot or 1-2
cloves garlic
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tsps. Asian red chili paste (I use sambal oelek, but any chili paste
will do)
2 Tbsp. chopped peanuts for garnish
Method
Stir-fry the minced
garlic or shallot for a minute or two, until the garlic is softened. Add
the hoisin sauce, rice vinegar and water, and bring to a boil. Add chili
paste to taste (about 2 tsps. generally does it for me). Remove from heat,
pour in dipping bowl(s), and garnish with chopped peanut.
Nuoc
Mam Sauce dipping
sauce
Ingredients
2
teaspoons minced fresh garlic
1
Tablespoon canned diced green chilies
1/4
cup rice vinegar
2
Tablespoons white sugar juice of 1 lime
3
Tablespoons fish sauce (nuoc mam)
Method
Whisk
all together and refrigerate until ready to use. It is best made the day
ahead. Serve at room temperature.
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