Happy first day of spring!
In keeping with the vernal greening of the land (and after last night's spicy, saucy dinner) I could go for something fresh and cool. Vietnamese summer rolls are one of my favorite things to make; they look a lot fancier than they are, and they're so light and healthy-tasting I could totally pig out on them and still keep my dignity.
The skins can be found at most Asian markets and some fancy grocery stores. They're very easy to use- just fill a wide, shallow pan with warm water, and soak each skin until it's soft and flexible. Lay it flat, place a scoop of your ingredients a little off-center, and roll it up like a burrito.
I serve these with a simple sauce of chili paste and rice vinegar with a little sugar. Like, literally- just mix those three things.
Vietnamese Summer Rolls
2 cups cooked bean thread noodles, cooled
2 tsp sesame oil
1 cup shredded carrots
2 tbs rice vinegar
2 cups spinach
1-2 shrimp for each roll, sliced in half
1-2 sprigs of cilantro for each roll
Cook noodles and run under cold water till cooled. Work through a little sesame oil to keep them from sticking. Marinate shredded carrots briefly in rice vinegar. Soften summer roll skin in warm water, remove and lay flat on a damp cutting board. Arrange the ingredients in the following order: cilantro, shrimp, carrot, spinach, noodles- try not to overstuff. Fold up the short ends first, then roll the rest of the way so that you have a tight, neat little bundle. Try not to eat it before it gets to the plate.
1 comment:
Oh dear. You don't realize the magnitude of what you've done, do you?
I can probably eat my weight in rice paper rolls. The only thing that has stopped me thus far is the belief that I'd have to trek to Chinatown to obtain all the ingredients.
I suppose it could have been worse. I'm going to require advance warning if you blog about crab rangoons. :P
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