Vietnamese Spring Rolls (served fresh, not fried)

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Going a bit off topic--just because you live alone doesn't mean you can't enjoy cooking. A friend of mine commented not long ago that I make amazing food for a person who lives alone most of the time (the DH and I do not live in the same house--it works better for us--to quote Katherine Hepburn: "Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then"). Just because you live alone does not mean you can't enjoy food and trips of culinary exploration. And, yes, you get to also have popcorn for supper, ice cream for breakfast, or just plain skip cooking dinner and have butter on saltine crackers. C'mon, I can't be the only one who has done that?
 
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Over here they wrap the spring rolls in spring roll wrappers not rice wrappers and these when deep fried are nice and crunchy and you cant see through them
 
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Hi Kylie - here we have different methods of spring rolls (or egg rolls) too, some are fried and have different wrappings. I'm sure that those more knowledgeable than I will chime in. :)
 
Cheryl, you are right, I am guessing there are many different variations of spring rolls over the world...I have never tried the ones in the image that Greg showed, although, they do probably have them here too :)
 
Going a bit off topic--just because you live alone doesn't mean you can't enjoy cooking. A friend of mine commented not long ago that I make amazing food for a person who lives alone most of the time (the DH and I do not live in the same house--it works better for us--to quote Katherine Hepburn: "Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then"). Just because you live alone does not mean you can't enjoy food and trips of culinary exploration. And, yes, you get to also have popcorn for supper, ice cream for breakfast, or just plain skip cooking dinner and have butter on saltine crackers. C'mon, I can't be the only one who has done that?

Hi CWS....oh my goodness, I do enjoy cooking, not only cooking, but preparing lovely salads and non-cooking related meals....it's my hobby.:chef: I love to try new things and present food to myself on a nice plate. :) My issue is trying to not go overboard and waste ingredients, or make bigger meals than I can eat in a day or two, unless I do it on purpose and freeze. My beloved mother lived with me for 11 years and she just passed away last year. :( I'm still kind of getting used to preparing for one. I hear ya on the saltines and butter or whatever for a meal now and then, although I prefer peanut butter, LOL. :LOL: Probably more info than you want here. lol

Oh and the late, great Katherine Hepburn...what a lady, huh? I have her biography "Kate Remembered" written by A. Scott Berg, who interviewed her over a 20 year period. Love that book, and Kate. :)
 
As has already been mentioned, the white rice paper wrappers are moistened to make "summer rolls". I use a pie pan to moisten the smaller ones, a larger baking sheet with sides for larger rolls. Often, in restaurants, there is a presentation where you can see a row of shrimp through the moistened rice paper. This summer roll is loaded with fresh veggies and lovely. They are eaten completely raw and cold, and the wrapper becomes translucent when wet.

The spring roll wrapper is a wheat product, but much thinner than the egg roll and won ton wrappers that I can get locally (the Vietnamese friend buys them in a much larger urban area that has an Asian grocery) and are eaten fried.
 
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I agree that it is hard to get into cooking for one or even two (my situation). I learned to cook for 6 and still, after cooking for one or two for easily 40 years, I have a hard time scaling it back. Quite often I do cook for those absent parents and siblings (they're all alive and kicking butt, just not near me). Luckily, my husband loves my cooking and loves leftovers. What's not to love? I'm good!
 
Cheryl, you are right, I am guessing there are many different variations of spring rolls over the world...I have never tried the ones in the image that Greg showed, although, they do probably have them here too :)

The fried ones and the fresh ones are different species. The wrappings they use are the reason. Unfortunately they're both called spring rolls by each of the cuisines. Vietnamese: served cool, fresh, uncooked, transparent, wrapper made from rice. Chinese: served hot, fried, wrapper made from egg and flour.

I think they call them spring rolls because they are more often made in the spring.

The Vietnamese ones are IMO more healthful because they are not fried in oil, so they don't bring the calories from the oil and they don't have the chemical products that are produced when hot oil cooks food. (That's why it's not good to eat too much fried food in your diet.)
 
Summer rolls are a staple for us year round.

Here's a previous post of mine for a salad that can also be used as a tasty summer roll filling.



The Elephant Walk Resataurant's Salade Cambodgienne

I love this salad at their restaurant and when I bought their cookbook, I started making it at home. It's a perfect summer salad. I make it almost once a week.

You can make it per the recipe or make it the lazier way, which I usually do.

Make the dressing according to their recipe, although you might want to sub part of the fish sauce with low sodium soy sauce. I usually use 2 parts fish sauce and 1 part soy. I also omit the shallot if I don't have any on hand. Also, you will probably not need the salt, so taste before you add it.

"DRESSING

1/4cup water
1/2cup sugar
1clove garlic, finely chopped
1small shallot, finely chopped
1/2cup Asian fish sauce
2tablespoons lime juice
2teaspoons salt.

1. In a small saucepan bring the water to a boil. Add the sugar and cook over low heat, stirring, just until it dissolves; set aside to cool.
2. Stir in the garlic and shallot and cook 30 minutes more.
3. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, and salt. Mix well and set aside."


I buy a bag of cole slaw mix (wash it) and then add in whatever I feel like from this general list of goodies: shredded chicken, chopped shrimp, pressed tofu, shredded daikon or red radish, bean sprouts, julienned snow peas, red onion, scallion, cilantro, watercress, mint, thai basil, bird peppers or jalepenos, bean thread or rice noodles.

I put the goodies in a bowl, combine with dressing (amount to your taste) and let chill. It usually only stays crisp for a day or two.

The best part about it is that it can be served as a salad or used as a filling for fresh spring rolls.
 
"DRESSING

1/4cup water
1/2cup sugar
1clove garlic, finely chopped
1small shallot, finely chopped
1/2cup Asian fish sauce
2tablespoons lime juice
2teaspoons salt.

1. In a small saucepan bring the water to a boil. Add the sugar and cook over low heat, stirring, just until it dissolves; set aside to cool.
2. Stir in the garlic and shallot and cook 30 minutes more.
3. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, and salt. Mix well and set aside."


I buy a bag of cole slaw mix (wash it) and then add in whatever I feel like from this general list of goodies: shredded chicken, chopped shrimp, pressed tofu, shredded daikon or red radish, bean sprouts, julienned snow peas, red onion, scallion, cilantro, watercress, mint, thai basil, bird peppers or jalepenos, bean thread or rice noodles.

Thanks for your comments! Yeah, that's just a spring roll turned inside out without the rice wrap. The sauce is well within the parameters of the Nuoc Cham sauce recipes I've seen and used. If you leave the sauce out and put it in a dipping dish instead, and wrap the salad in individual rice wrappers you'd have Vietnamese spring rolls! :)
 
The rolls taste a lot better when the filling is tossed with some of the sauce before you roll them up. But you've got to eat them right away.

And I totally agree on the fresh herbs. They are a must.
 
I've been a big fan of fresh summer rolls after trying them at my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. I used to even make them about once a week at the height of my obsession.

Favorite way to serve them was a sauce of simply chopped fresh peanuts, nuac cham, hoisin, and sambal all mixed up. I like to load the sambal into the sauce so it's super spicy.

When I used to make them I would season a pork shoulder with a rub made from ground fresh star anise, salt, black pepper, white pepper, cinnamon, paprika, and fresh ground/toasted cumin. Then I roasted it in the oven until it was cooked through, but not quite fall-apart-tender. Took it out, cool, wrapped it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated it for a few hours. Once it was chilled, I took it out and added thin slices of it to the summer rolls along with shrimp, cilantro, thai basil, scallion, rice noodles, and a tiny sprinkle of salt. Pretty stellar.

One of these days I'll get down to the Asian market and snag some more ingredients and do these again. I miss making them. It was always such a task to get them to roll into perfect little cylinders.
 
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The first time I ordered Spring Rolls, they presented Albino wraps to our table, I was sure I had ordered the Wrong Thing. I don't do well with Mysterious Foods> in Unfamliar Environments >> These were simply wonderfull with whole pink shrimp showing through the wrappers. Everything was so crisp inside. And the Sauce was different from Vietnamese fried egg rolls too. Guess I Did order the Right Thing that day.

We are blessed to have a large Vietnamese ( as well as other SE Asian) communities and many good / affordable restaurants to choose. I have somehow come to equate spring rolls as a good lunch dish. Making them at home would be a real splurge.
 
The first time I ordered Spring Rolls, they presented Albino wraps to our table, I was sure I had ordered the Wrong Thing. I don't do well with Mysterious Foods> in Unfamliar Environments >> These were simply wonderfull with whole pink shrimp showing through the wrappers. Everything was so crisp inside. And the Sauce was different from Vietnamese fried egg rolls too. Guess I Did order the Right Thing that day.

That pretty much describes my reaction too, except I didn't like them the first time. I was confused. I expected something fried.

It took me some time to adjust to the concept, and the second time I tried them I really liked them. And obviously continue to like them or I wouldn't have gotten involved to the point of making my own. :)
 

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