There is nothing quite like biting into a crisp, paper thin wheat flour pastry filled with meat, shrimp, vegetables & aromatic herbs. Now to this, add the most flavorful dipping sauce with fish sauce, lime, garlic, fresh cilantro and the hint of sweetness and one is very nearly at heavens door when it comes to Vietnamese cooking.
I must have been in my early teens when I first made these - I was a huge fan of British Chef Keith Floyd and his series - Floyd on (country) series. In fact I made it a point to never miss a show. I loved the way he would absorb himself into the indigenous culture and cook right there - in the middle of the market, the field or the village with hundreds of onlookers gawking at him (all the while guzzling down copious amounts of wine) and so he was my first introduction in Vietnamese cooking. Now this isn't his recipe - his was with lobster and crab which I hope to dig out from my old tattered, dog-eared collection very soon. But nevertheless, it he I must thank too for my early influences in World cuisine.
Now, these fried Vietnamese spring rolls are my absolute favorite and the only trouble with them is that they more addictive than a bag of chips or a can of pistachios - ever tried eating just one? You'd have to have nerves of steel or non-functioning taste buds!
So my saving grace (I tell myself) is that the paper thin wheat pastry is so thin that as long as I don't devour more than 4-5 (girl guides honor!) I will not be breaking my cardinal rule of not binging.
The weekend before Christmas, they seem to be a nice little treat before all the festive cooking begins. A Sunday treat of a different genre if you will.
Just to get this straight on the onset, these rolls are certainly not to be confused with the Goi Cuon, Vietnamese salad rolls, also referred to as Vietnamese summer rolls - barbecued pork, fresh herbs, lettuce, sometimes fresh garlic chives, rice vermicelli are all wrapped up in moistened rice paper and served cold with dipping sauce and are certainly not fried - hence the term summer roll.
A very important component to making these successfully i.e the best tasting spring rolls ever , use only the wheat flour, paper thin variety of spring roll pastry sheets - not the wonton sheets and certainly not the thick egg roll sheets. These by the way are easily available at your local Asian store.
Back to our minced pork & shrimp spring rolls - I am super excited to have these for dinner so lets get going!
Happy Holidays One & All! The main ingredients in this spring roll are, minced pork (or chicken), shrimp, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, green onions, garlic, Thai red chilly, ginger and lemon grass. To this add seasonings - fish sauce, sugar & salt.
Cook's Note - The proportion of the meat to the shrimp is 1 part meat to 1/2 part shrimp.
Shell the shrimp. In a mini chopper, add the shrimp, Thai red chilly, roughly chopped ginger and garlic. Chop till it is finely minced, adding no liquid.
Cook's Note - If there are any large chunks of garlic or ginger, remove and chop by hand.
Mix together with the shrimp & pork until combined.
Prepare the vegetables -Green Onions - Cut into 1-1/2" lengths. Slice and julienne into thin strips. Add to the pork shrimp mixture.
Mushrooms - Cut the mushroom caps as you would a hamburger bun. Julienne into thin strips. Add to the pork shrimp mixture.
Cooks Tip - Lemon grass is quite tough so be careful when handling a knife. Also I find it much easier to cut with a utility or chefs knife. A serrated knife simply does not work.
Thoroughly mix the meat with the vegetables. If you are fixing these for later on, do not add any seasonings at this point. Refrigerate till ready to use.
If you are ready to use straight away then add the fish sauce, sugar and salt and mix the filling mixture thoroughly with clean hands.
To create the dipping sauce, in a bowl, add sugar with hot water to help dissolve it quickly. Add fish sauce, lime, & the minced garlic and Thai red chilly and stir.
Add chopped cilantro and a few strands of julienne carrot strips for color.
Stir, taste & adjust seasonings - especially the sweet and the sour. The sauce should be sweet, hot and tangy. Refrigerate till ready to use.
Before forming all the rolls, I would form just one - fry the roll and taste it. That way, if you want to make any seasoning adjustments to the filling, you can do that before you have formed all of the rolls.
If you are serving these at a party or for a large group, you can roll up the spring rolls, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate earlier in the day, layers separated by parchment paper . Then all you have to do is deep fry them when you are ready to serve.- R emove the spring roll pastry from the wrapping. Peel off the top sheet. Cover the remaining with a damp cotton cloth so they do not dry out.
- Spread a spring roll sheet out with the corner pointing towards you. Keep a bowl of water handy. Dip a pastry brush in water & wash the sheet all over with water, but especially at the edges.
- Place 1 tbs of filling in the lower corner of the sheet, just below the center line. Spread the filling into a sausage shape. Roll over the corner of the sheet over the filling.
- Dip your finger in the water and apply water to the sheet on each side of f illing. Fold the right and left sides of the pastry sheet over the filling.
- Roll as tight as possible and when you get to the last triangular flap, dip your finger in water and apply water over the flap. Fold the flap over and press to seal the spring roll well.
- Cook's Note - The water in the entire process acts as a 'glue' and seals the spring roll.
- Continue the process till all the spring rolls are formed.
Freeze in a zip lock bag in a single layer for later use, like the next day or so or continue deep frying.
Cook's Note - The advice on freezing the spring rolls is from my Thai friend Shashi who makes wonderful spring rolls and loves that she can go straight from the freezer to the frying pan with these.
Very important - Each spring roll should take approx 4 minutes to lightly brown. Fry in batches of no more than 4 rolls at a time. Cook one spring roll first so you can make sure it is cooked on the inside after 4 minutes. Adjust your cooking time accordingly if needed.
Flip the rolls throughout the frying process for uniform browning. Once the spring rolls are a light golden brown, remove with a slotted spoon onto a kitchen paper lined plate.
Cook's Note - If the rolls are turning brown too soon, the oil is too hot. Stop. Take the frying pan off the heat. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes and then restart the process.
You can also re-heat the spring rolls once you have fried the entire lot by dropping them into hot oil for approx 30 seconds, just before serving.
Traditionally these are served, rolled in lettuce with a mint leaf but these are fantastic just with the dipping sauce alone as well. I find that to be much more convenient for large groups.
The flavors of the crispy pastry, moist savory meat & vegetable filling are enhanced by the fragrant lemon grass. The sweet, hot and tangy dipping sauce complements the delicately flavored rolls perfectly.
All in all, t his is a definite crowd pleaser and will completely bowl your family and guests over. I hope you try these - though they are a little time consuming these will be well worth your effort!
2 baby carrots or regular carrot (to make 1/4 cup strips)
3 garlic peeled cloves
1 tbs fish sauce
1/4 tsp sugar
1 packet, TYJ brand (or equivalent), 6 inch/50 sheets thin, frozen flour spring roll sheets
1 tbs chopped finely cilantro leaves
1/2 tbs lemon or lime juice
1 crushed & finely chopped garlic clove
Mix together with the shrimp & pork till blended.
Green Onions - Cut into 1-1/2" lengths. Slice and julienne into thin strips. Add to the pork shrimp mixture.
Mushrooms - Cut the mushroom caps as you would a hamburger bun. Julienne into thin strips. Add to the pork shrimp mixture.
Thoroughly mix the meat with the vegetables. If you are fixing these for later on, do not add any seasonings at this point. Refrigerate till ready to use.
If you are ready to use straight away then add the fish sauce, sugar and salt and mix the filling mixture thoroughly with clean hands.
To create the dipping sauce, in a bowl, add sugar with hot water to help dissolve it quickly. Add fish sauce, lime, & the minced garlic and Thai red chilly and stir.
Add chopped cilantro and a few strands of julienne carrot strips for color. Stir, taste & adjust seasonings. Refrigerate till ready to use.
Remove the spring roll pastry from the wrapping. Peel off the top sheet. Cover the remaining with a damp cotton cloth so they do not dry out.
Spread a spring roll sheet out with the corner pointing towards you. Keep a bowl of water handy. Dip a pastry brush in water & wash the sheet all over with water, but especially at the edges.
Place 1 tbs of filling in the lower corner of the sheet, just below the center line. Spread the filling into a sausage shape. Roll over the corner of the sheet over the filling.
Dip your finger in the water and apply water to the sheet on each side of f illing. Fold the right and left sides of the pastry sheet over the filling.
Roll as tight as possible and when you get to the last triangular flap, dip your finger in water and apply water over the flap. Fold the flap over and press to seal the spring roll well.
Cook's Note - The water in the entire process acts as a 'glue' and seals the spring roll.
Continue the process till all the spring rolls are formed. Refrigerate for use later in the day or continue deep frying.
In order that the meat in the filling cooks, in a deep frying pan, heat the oil for about 2 minutes on medium heat till hot but not very hot. Each spring roll should take approx 4 minutes to lightly brown. Fry in batches of no more than 4 rolls at a time.
Flip the rolls throughout the frying process for uniform browning. Once the spring rolls are a light golden brown, remove with a slotted spoon onto a kitchen paper lined plate.
Cook's Note - If the rolls are turning brown too soon, the oil is too hot. Stop. Take the frying pan off the heat. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes and then restart the process.
You can also re-heat the spring rolls once you have fried the entire lot by dropping them into hot oil for approx 30 seconds, just before serving.