Vietnamese Spring Rolls

I have put together a kind of handbook for spring rolls here, that include the basic building blocks, optional ingredients, and several sauces. Make them any way you'd like.

Building Blocks:

A) Rice paper sheets (found at Asian markets and sometimes at supermarkets now)

B) Cooked seafood or meat (sliced thinly) - shrimp is my favorite- (seasoning suggestions included below)

C) Rice vermicelli (see recipe section below for preparation - found at Asian markets or supermarkets)

D) Vegetables and fresh herbs as accompaniments. Any combination of:

The standard:

Fresh cilantro (also called fresh coriander) - don't use dried!

Fresh mint - don't use dried!

Cucumber (seeded and julienned thinly or shredded)

Carrot (julienned thinly or shredded)

Bean Sprouts

Lettuce leaves

Secondary:

Green onions, chopped

Daikon radish, shredded

Red radish, thinly sliced

Celery leaves

Fresh Basil

Fresh Dill

Onion (juilienned or shredded)

Fresh Shiso leaf (also called beefsteak leaf. Found in Asian markets - personally I dislike this like others dislike cilantro)

Mango (not over ripe) shredded or julienned

Papaya (not over ripe) shredded or julienned

E) Dipping Sauces :

Nuoc Cham Sauce (recipes below) - I always make this sauce even if I don't make a second one.

Hoisin Peanut Sauce (recipe below)

Mint sauce (recipe below - I've never made it, but it sounds good)

To Make and Serve:

You can make the rolls yourself. Or, have everyone make their own at the table:

Serve everyone a plate with the meat/seafood, which can be hot or cold.

You can distribute the vegetables, herbs and vermicelli among everyone's plates, or make one big plate for everyone to pick from.

Serve the rice paper on a plate with a wide bowl of warm water for moistening (I put water in a medium sized frying pan, since this is a good shape and has a handle.) - Don't take the rice papers out of the package until the last minute, since they will pickup moisture from the air and start to curl.

Moisten the rice paper. Lay some of the ingredients in the middle. Wrap up, dip and enjoy!

(hint: If you fold bottom over once the ingredients, then fold in the two sides, then finish rolling, it holds together better) If you want, you can wrap the lettuce around the completed spring roll, but it's easiest to dip and less messy if you put the lettuce inside the spring roll.

Nuoc Cham Sauce

You can put shredded carrot into this, like many restaurants do (although I think it's more for show than for taste so I don't bother)

1 Tb plus 2 tsp sugar

4 garlic cloves, peeled

2-4 dried hot chilies or 2 fresh chilies (I used 2 of the tiny red dried Asian chilies)

Juice and pulp of 1/4 lime

5 Tb water

1/4 cup fish sauce (nuoc mam)

Combine sugar, garlic and chilies in a mortar and pound to a paste (you can mash with the back of a spoon in a mixing bowl...I bet you could use a food processor too). Add lime juice and pulp and continue to blend. Add water and fish sauce and mix thoroughly. Makes about 3/4 cup.

Hoisin Peanut Sauce

4 medium cloves garlic, peeled

3/4 cup peanuts, roasted and unsalted

2 Tb hot bean paste (you can also use Sambal Oeleck...both of which can be found at Asian markets - actually any hot chili paste from market will probably due - they usually have the word Sambal in it, or even minced fresh serrano or jalapeno chilies)

1/2 cup hoisin sauce (my favorite brand is Koon Chun with the yellow and blue label - find at Asian market)

1 Tb sugar

1 1/2 Tb white vinegar

2/3 cup chicken broth (I used Swanson's canned, from the soup section of the supermarket)

Mince the garlic in a food processor or by hand. Grind the peanuts to a coarse meal. Combine and mix in the remaining ingredients.

Mint Dipping Sauce

2 cloves garlic, peeled and diced

1/2 fresh Serrano chili pepper, cut up (jalapeno will probably work too)

1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, lightly packed

2 Tb white vinegar

3 1/2 Tb fresh lemon juice

2 Tb light corn syrup (dark would work too if you have on hand)

1 Tb sugar

5 Tsp fish sauce (nuoc mam)

2 Tb water

In a food processor, or by hand, mince the garlic, chili pepper, and mint together. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well until the sugar is dissolved.

Rice Vermicelli

Boil like you would any pasta. Keep separating with fork or pasta fork while cooking. When it's done (it only takes a few minutes), drain and spread out on a plate to cool. You might separate/fluff it a few times while cooling to prevent sticking.

Meats and Seafoods

You can always just grill or cook beef or pork without seasoning it. But if you want to give it some Asian flavor, here are my thoughts on cooking meat. Season it with a spice rub. One suggestion is to put the rub on the whole piece then let sit for 30 minutes, then grill, then slice thinly. Another suggestion is to slice it first, sprinkle with the rub, let sit 30 minutes, then grill the slices or put them on a cookie sheet and bake them in the oven at a high heat (maybe even broil them for a few minutes). You could probably fry them in a pan too, but if you do, it might work better if you use a tiny bit of oil and fry.

Here's how I made a rub. You can do any combination of stuff. The brown sugar helps the meat caramelize and the salt is pretty mandatory, but you could probably use less if you like.

A tsp might be a good-sized measurement to use here for the "parts".

2 parts Five-Spice powder (from Asian market, or supermarket Asian section)

1 part onion powder (not onion salt-minced ok too)

1 part garlic powder (not garlic salt-minced ok too)

1 part cayenne

2 parts brown sugar

4 parts salt

With shrimp, you could probably also season it with a little of this rub, although too much could overwhelm the delicate flavor. I usually just cook it plain. Or marinate it in a little lime juice, safflower oil with a little sesame oil added, and with some of those spices. You could use crabmeat too (or "Krab"). Maybe even experiment with monkfish or other firm fish.

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List of Asian Market Ingredients

- Rice paper sheets - these come in different sizes and shapes. Any could work, but I use the larger round ones.

- Rice vermicelli (also called rice noodles but the thin ones, not the flat ones that are used for Pad Thai)...usually sold in blocks, covered in cellophane

- Fish sauce (nuoc mam)

- Dried little red Asian chilies (they usually come in a bag that will last your whole life)

- Sesame oil (use sparingly, and usually mix with other oil...it's more a flavoring than a cooking oil)

- Hot bean paste (or Sambal Oelec. Or any hot chili paste (they usually have the word Sambal in it)

- Hoisin sauce (my favorite brand is Koon Chun with the yellow and blue label)

- Five spice powder

- Fresh Shiso leaf (also called beefsteak leaf) This may be hard to find? I don't like it, so I don't care.

- Daikon radish (some supermarkets sell this too)