Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls (not fried)
Submitted by anon. on Tue, 2009-07-28 01:24
My kids and husband really like these in their bentos and they are great way to use up small quantities of cooked food. These are spring rolls made with fresh ingredients and not the fried variety. Here is how I do them:
Spring Rolls wrappers - can be found at Asian markets. I like the medium size which is about 8 inches in diameter.
Glass noodles (also called cellophane or bean thread noodles; look for the thinnest ones)
Filling: can anything really, there is usually a meat and a leafy green. Here are some combinations we like:
Smoked Chicken
Fresh basil leaves
Julienned carrots
Cooked shrimp
Fresh mint or basil leaves
Julienned radish
Cooked pork
Soft lettuce such as Boston lettuce
Julienned apple
….and of course they can have vegetarian fillings as well. Curtthe fillings into short pieces and have ready in bowls to assemble. The cellophane noodles just need to be placed in a bowl and covered with boiling water for about 3 minutes and then drained.
To assemble:
The wrappers are hard and plastic like. Take one and place it in a bowl or dish filled with warm water. The dish should be big enough to let the wrapper lie flat under the water. Let it soften until it feels pliable but not totally soft (less than 15 seconds.) Lift it out, let the excess water drip off for a second or two and place it on a cutting board. Add a green, your fillings and a small hank of noodles right below the center of the wrapper. Roll the wrapper totally around the filling and tuck it under, then bring in the two sides and continue to roll up snugly.
Place the roll seam side down in your bento box and lien them up neatly, add a dipping sauce and enjoy! The wrappers taste best when made fresh; they get a mushy if made the night before, however the fillings can be prepared in advance.
Here is a link with lots of pix:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vietnamese-Fresh-Spring-Rolls/Photo-Gallery.aspx
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