Great minds think alike! The first thing Ross and I both thought of when planning Vietnamese food was fresh rolls.
Where Ross got very imaginative I took a slightly different approach and used cabbage or lettuce as the foundation in all of my recipes.
Probably swayed from having the veggie spring roll whenever I have Chinese food.
And...I am not addicted to making them. After the first attempt and tearing the rice wrapper I determined these were fussy little things.
A note of caution...if the instructions say immerse in hot water for only a second...pay attention. I didn't. It really does only need a second or two.
Again with cooking I didn't keep track of amounts since it really is a matter of taste and how many you are preparing.
I've made three different versions using the eight inch rounds of rice paper. Today I did get a little creative and used the smaller rice paper and made vegetarian with cinnamon and cloves.
My first attempt with the rice paper was using shrimp. I'm used to rolling tortilla wraps, but using the softened rice paper took some getting used to.
The recipes are below and the amounts are approximate. Adjust the seasonings to taste.
Rice vermicelli
12 medium shrimp, cut in half
1 - 2 Tbsp basil, chopped
3 Tbsp mint, chopped
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 romaine lettuce leaves, chopped
Lime juice
For the shrimp rolls I was very particular laying out the ingredients...that changed. A little lime juice over the top before wrapping.
First attempt...not so neat.
A few holes in the wrappers.
Pork Fresh Rolls
Pork, cooked
Rice vermicelli
Ginger
Cilantro
Cucumber
Mixed everything together, and added to the wrappers by handfuls. Picture is above, and much neater.
First attempt...not so neat.
A few holes in the wrappers.
Pork Fresh Rolls
Pork, cooked
Rice vermicelli
Ginger
Cilantro
Cucumber
Mixed everything together, and added to the wrappers by handfuls. Picture is above, and much neater.
It seems I'm missing pictures of the chicken. I had made a Vietnamese chicken salad for supper a few nights ago, and had leftovers. I used that in the chicken rolls. Recipe to follow.
Todays rolls, I used the smaller wrappers.
Fried Veggie Rolls
Cabbage, chopped
Celery, chopped
Carrot, shredded
Ginger, grated fine,
Garlic, minced
1/2 lime
Cinnamon, a couple shakes
Ground cloves, a couple shakes
Fish sauce
Sesame oil
Rice wine vinegar
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
I knew one of us would have to try deep frying.
Rather than filling a pot with oil, I pan fried in a little canola just until browned.
The veggies were softened and the whole thing was delicious!
For all the rolls I made a dipping sauce from equal parts hoisin and lime.
Five spice powder is common it seems in most Asian cooking, and it came up quite often in the recipes I was looking at for Vietnamese cuisine. Since I didn't have any, I used the cinnamon and ground cloves together which are two of the five spices. It's a good combination, and gives the dish an Asian flair.
(Shelley)
Todays rolls, I used the smaller wrappers.
Fried Veggie Rolls
Cabbage, chopped
Celery, chopped
Carrot, shredded
Ginger, grated fine,
Garlic, minced
1/2 lime
Cinnamon, a couple shakes
Ground cloves, a couple shakes
Fish sauce
Sesame oil
Rice wine vinegar
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
I knew one of us would have to try deep frying.
Rather than filling a pot with oil, I pan fried in a little canola just until browned.
The veggies were softened and the whole thing was delicious!
For all the rolls I made a dipping sauce from equal parts hoisin and lime.
Five spice powder is common it seems in most Asian cooking, and it came up quite often in the recipes I was looking at for Vietnamese cuisine. Since I didn't have any, I used the cinnamon and ground cloves together which are two of the five spices. It's a good combination, and gives the dish an Asian flair.
(Shelley)
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