Mmmm...
My favourite part of any Vietnamese meal is the humble spring roll (Cha Goi). Mined meat, vegetables and herbs all mixed up and rolled up in rice paper and then deep fried…twice. Yum, yum, I say. So I went to a cookery class in Hanoi to learn how to make them. Here’s the recipe:
2 oz translucent rice vermicelli or cellophane noodles, chopped
2 tbsp dried tree ears (wood fungus or wood ears), soaked until soft and chopped
3 Chinese mushroom caps, soaked until soft and chopped
6 oz minced pork
3oz minced prawn
1 handful bean sprouts
2 stalks spring onions, chopped
2 tbsp nuoc mam (fish sauce)
1 tsp pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
12-14 sheets banh tranhg (uber thin rice paper)
vegetable oil for deep frying
Put all ingredients except skins or rice paper in a large mixing bowl and blend well. To adjust seasoning, boil a small nugget of mixture and taste. Adjust seasoning if necessary. In a bowl of tepid water gently lower each sheet of bang tranhg or spring roll skin until becomes softer and clear.
Quimby gets a tutorial, waiting to spring into action
Put a spoonful of the mixture in the centre of the paper, one third of the way along. Fold in the sides and then roll the mixture in the paper tightly, making sure to keep the cylindrical shape.
Not as easy as it looks...
Heat oil and test it by putting the end of a chopstick in it. If you see bubbles then the oil is ready to cook your spring rolls. Put them in the oil for 10 minutes, turning constantly.
When you are ready to eat heat them through in the oil for another 10 minutes. Pat dry on paper towel. Bon Appétit, or as the Vietnamese say: Chúc ngon miệng!
Not bad for a first attempt, although I did cut my hand open making the tomato into a rose...muppet!
