VIETNAMESE SPRING ROLLS
Why I Love This Recipe
They were a hit at my neighborhood pot luck. Fussy, but most people really like them. Carol Alper
Ingredients You'll Need
Rolls:
Mix together:
½ lb rice sticks, cooked according to the package
2 carrots, shredded
¾ cup mint, coarsely shredded
¾ cup cilantro, coarsely shredded (or substitute basil—some people hate cilantro)
35 spring roll wrappers
2 heads Boston lettuce, leaves cleaned and separated. Cut out the rigid portion of the center rib. Larger leaves may be cut in half.
Use some or all of these ingredients—or vary with some rolls of different types)
1 ½ lb shrimp, poached (omit for vegan version)
1 cucumber, cut into match sticks
1 avocado, cut into pieces
1 red pepper, cut into match sticks
Snow peas, cut into match sticks
Peanut Dipping sauce:
¼ c hoisin sauce
2 tbsp. peanut butter
1 ½ tsp. tomato paste (or catsup)
1 tsp. sugar
½ cup water
1 tsp. corn oil
1 ½ tsp. garlic
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
Mix first five ingredients. Heat oil. Stir fry garlic, pepper 5 sec. Stir in peanut mixture, cook 3-4 min.
Spicy sweet/sour sauce
1 t crushed red pepper
Juice of 3 limes
¼ cup fish sauce (there is a vegetarian version)
Directions
Heat a frying pan of water—a little bigger than the wrappers—to not quite boiling (you will need to reheat if it gets to cool to soften the wrappers).
Lay out dish towels to work on. Working quickly dip one wrapper in the hot water using tongs—it only takes a few seconds to soften. Lay it out on your dish towel. (I usually spoil a few wrappers by dipping too long or tearing them. Throw it out and take a new wrapper.)
Center one lettuce leaf on the wrapper with a border of wrapper all around. Spoon on about 2 or 3 tablespoons of rice stick mixture horizontally, cigar style. Add whatever ingredients make you happy. Fold in the sides about an inch and then roll from the bottom.
The wrapper will seal itself closed. Continue making them one at a time and stack them on a platter in layers. Amazingly, they do not stick together. Serve with two types of dipping sauce.
