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Spring rolls of summer By Kady Guyton
Despite the fact that we are currently in high summer, this is the perfect time for spring rolls. The herbs are fresh and abundant and spring rolls require minimum cooking - just boil water. They do require a little technique, but nothing too fancy. The spring rolls pictured were made with Thai basil and shrimp, among other things. Thai basil is lighter in flavor and has smaller, paler leaves than its Italian counterpart. If finding it proves too time consuming, regular basil will be fine. I've had spring rolls made with grilled chicken, very thin slices of beef and sauteed tofu. All were excellent, so let your taste buds be your guide. The recipe also calls for fresh cilantro. I have found that one of the fastest ways to divide a room is to ask who likes cilantro and doesn't. If you find to be offensively soapy, leave it out. You won't hurt my feelings. Shrimp is possibly the easiest protein you will ever cook. It comes with a built-in timer: when it turns pink and floats in a pot of boiling water, it's done. The whole process takes about four minutes. Nothing more, nothing less. If you drop the shrimp and it bounces, then it is probably overdone. In addition to herbs and shrimp, the other important ingredient in spring rolls is very fine noodles; either rice vermicelli or mung bean threads - also known as glass or cellophane noodles. I prefer glass noodles to vermicelli, it tends to be a little easier to work with and cooks up into fine translucent threads, which just look cool. A spring roll is essentially a salad that we eat in a single bite. Since the last thing anyone does with their food is eat it, we want the rolls to look as appetizing as possible. Using thin rice wrappers allows the ingredients to be seen, but also be neatly packaged. The rice wrappers can be found in the produce section of most grocery stores near the tofu and eggroll wrappers. They come very stiff and dry. To prep them for rolling, submerge them - one at a time - in a bowl of warm water. They may have to be massaged a little before they're ready for rolling, but when they turn soft and clear, the wrapper is ready. The finished spring rolls will be a little sticky. If they are being made in advanced, store in an airtight container with layers of wax paper or damp paper towel separating them. Make sure the rolls are not touching each other. Serve with a chilled sauvignon blanc or jasmine iced tea and dipping sauce. Spring Rolls 2 ounces glass noodles Dipping Sauce 1. Cook noodles in boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes, according to package. 2. Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the hot water until softened. Lay wrapper flat. In a row across the center, place 2 shrimp halves, a handful of noodles, basil, mint, cilantro and lettuce, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on each side. Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end with the lettuce. Repeat with remaining ingredients. 3. In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili sauce. 4. In another small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce and peanuts. 5. Serve rolled spring rolls with the fish sauce and hoisin sauce mixtures. |
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