recipe madness!
from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
with some slight modifications by me!
Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Ingredients
2 oz cellophane or skinny rice noodles
1 carrot
1 cup mung bean sprouts, briefly blanched
(i don't like those, so i leave them out)
2 cups finely shredded napa cabbage
5 scallions, quartered lenghtwise and sliced
1/3 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1/3 cup coarsely chopped mint
1/4 cup thinly sliced thai or italian basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 garlic cloves
salt
2 serrano chiles, finely diced
juice of two limes
12 large or 24 small round vietnamese rice papers
24 butter or boston lettuce leaves (garnish)
peanut dipping sauce (recipe follows)
Directions
Cook the noodles, according to package instructions.
Rinse in cold water and drain.
PUT ON GLOVES. I cannot stress this enough.
working with the serrano chile sauce in the vegetables
made my hands bright red and burning, for hours.
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the carrot right
down to the core, making long thin strips.
Combine them with the sprouts, cabbage, scallions,
herbs, and sugar.
smash the garlic in a mortar with a pinch of salt
and the chiles to make a paste, stir in lime juice.
toss with the vegetables.
Fill a bowl with warm water and spread a clean towel
on the counter. Working with one paper at a time,
slip it into the water and soak until soft and
pliable, about 10 seconds. Papers should turn
translucent, but don't leave them there too long
or they will fall apart. Remove and set on towel.
put a small strip of noodles and a small mound of
vegetable mixture at one end of the rice paper,
roll it over once, fold over the sides, and roll
to the end, making a neat little package.
When all are done, slice the rolls in half and
stand them, cut side up, on a plate lined with
lettuce leaves.
Peanut Dipping Sauce
(this is my mother's recipe, not affiliated with
the nasty peanut dipping sauce in the Vegetarian
Cooking for Everyone book.)
Ingredients
1 large spoonful SMOOTH peanut butter
hot water
soy sauce
sugar
hot sauce (like the red thai hot sauce, optional)
rice vinegar (optional)
Directions
Place the peanut butter in a small bowl.
Add a small amount of hot water, until the
peanut butter is easy to stir and work with
but not watery. remember that it is easier
to add more liquid later than it is it add
more peanut butter.
Add soy sauce, sugar, hot sauce, and
vinegar to taste. i usually don't use much
of the sugar or vinegar. just a pinch.
The resulting sauce should be creamy.
Not thick, and not watery. enjoy!