Friday, September 03rd 2010

Vietnamese Salad Rolls Recipe

rice noodles
bean sprouts
fresh cilantro and/or mint
green onions, julienned
carrots, julienned
celery, julienned
red pepper, julienned (optional)
Anaheim chili, julienned (optional)
cooked meat, julienned (Chinese style roast pork, chicken, shrimp, pork
loin, or combination)

Purchased Peanut Sauce: Taste of Thai makes a good one, but it has to be mixed with Coconut Milk, which drives up the calories. Look for a mix that can be mixed with water, add a little chili paste and use for a dipping sauce for the Salad Rolls

Take a dinner plate and put hot tap water on it. Take a wrapper and wet it, making sure that every part gets wet. Transfer to another clean plate and place filling items on top. Wrap it like a burrito, closed at both ends: flip one end over the filling. Fold in the perpendicular ends to close in the filling. Roll in direction of first fold until you reach the end of the wrapper. The gluten in the wrapper will self-seal it. Set aside and repeat until your filling ingredients are gone, or you've reached the limit of what can be eaten at that meal. These do not keep well - don't try to refrigerate or freeze them - it's a disaster.

Salad Rolls make a great meal with a pot of Hot and Sour soup as an accompaniment, or a big bowl of Pho (Noodle Soup) and some peanut sauce.

Salad Roll Wrappers must be purchased in Asian markets or specialty stores. They are packaged about 100 to the package, but don't worry - they last a long time if protected from moisture.)