Vietnamese spring rolls

We never go to a Vietnamese restaurant without ordering spring rolls. Between Pho Hoa and Pho Bac, I prefer the latter’s spring rolls. Apart from that though, my vote goes to Pho Hoa all the way. It’s always been my dream to make Vietnamese spring rolls at home but it wasn’t easy getting hold of rice spring roll wrappers. Quite recently, they started making an appearance in bigger supermarkets. I suppose that signals how popular Vietnamese cooking has become in the Philippines. The Landmark at TriNoma and Shopwise Libis both sell rice spring roll wrappers. The rest of the ingredients — mung bean sprouts, carrot, beef, rice noodles and onion leaves — are easily available in any supermarket or wet market.

To make Vietnamese spring rolls you will need:

75 g. of glass noodles (vermicelli)
200 to 250 g. of cooked beef
carrot
2 c. of mung bean sprouts (togue)
a bunch of onion leaves
10 spring roll wrappers
10 pieces each of fresh lemon basil leaves, cilantro (coriander leaves) and mint leaves (optional but highly recommended)

Soak the noodles in hot water until soft. Depending on the quality of the noodles, boiling for a few minutes may be required. Just rinse afterwards then dump in ice water to prevent them from turning soggy. Cut into two-inch lengths.

Cut the beef as thinly as you can.

Use a vegetable peeler to shred the carrot into very thin strips.

Cut the onion leaves (finely or into one or two-in strips, your choice).

Wash and pat dry the lemon basil, cilantro and mint leaves.

Blanch the carrot strips and the bean sprouts (separately) in boiling water for about a minute, drain, rinse, dump in a bowl of ice water, toss until cool and drain well.

To simplify the procedure, I prefer to place the noodles, bean sprouts and onion leaves in a bowl, and season them lightly with patis (fish sauce).

Soak the rice spring roll wrapper in water until soft; it only take about ten seconds.

Take the spring roll wrapper, shake off excess water and lay flat on a dry surface. A wooden chopping board works great for this purpose.

Place about two tablespoonfuls of the noodle-bean sprout mixture across the middle of the wrapper. Top with a few slices of carrot and beef.

Take the edge nearest you and fold to cover the filling. Arrange the lemon basil, cilantro and mint leaves on the folded portion of the wrapper. Take the side edges and fold in. Roll outward to seal.

Arrange the spring rolls on a plate, top with more onion leaves and serve with fish sauce (nuoc cham) and peanut sauce.

To make the peanut sauce, mix together 2 tablespoonfuls of patis, 1/4 cup of hoisin sauce, 1 tablespoonful of tamarind paste (you can substitute mild vinegar), 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter and 1/2 cup of hot water. Add more hot water for a thinner sauce.

In the mood for more food?

1. Halang-Halang
2. Lemon-butter-garlic prawns
3. Budget cooking part 3 (twice-cooked chicken and tofu)
4. Crushed galangal
5. Baked macaroni for a Halloween party
6. Butter-fried suman and ripe mangoes
7. Kiddie Spaghetti
8. Vegetables and eggs
9. Mapo tofu
10. Paksiw na pata ng baboy

I'm everywhere!

• Pinoy Cook on Facebook
• I am Pinoy Cook on Twitter & Plurk
• My Multiply account

Fish & seafood

• Braised tilapia
• Pasta with prawns in creamy garlic sauce
• No meat during Lent?
• Whole fish with mayo sauce
• Pan-fried kitang with tofu-egg salsa
• Steamed pompano with ginger sauce
• Chili garlic shrimps with coriander paste and Kecap Manis
• Oven-steamed whole fish
• Fried labahita (surgeonfish) with chili-pineapple sauce
• Fish and chives frittata

Healthy veggies

• Fried beef brisket and potatoes with sour cream
• Baked pompano and red cabbage
• Cucumber salad with roasted pili nuts
• Chicken livers and string beans
• Baked eggplants with bacon and cheese
• Buttered pork and vegetables
• Capsicum halves stuffed with chicken, cheese and vegetables
• Pritong tilapia (fried St. Peter’s fish) and cheese-topped chili-cauliflower bake
• Mashed potatoes and kalabasa (squash)
• Potato salad with toasted cashew nuts

Mommy Journals