Recipe - Ha Nguyens Fresh Spring Rolls (Goi Cuon)

One half pound Medium shrimp
One fourth pound Lean pork loin
8 Rice; (8inch) paper rounds
(banh trang)
One half Head redleaf lettuce or
bibb lettuce
1 bn Mint; (hung cay) and/or Thai
basil (rau que)
2 cup Cooked rice noodles; (bun,
thin rice vermicelli), see
cook's note
1 cup Bean sprouts
Optional: 2 carrots; peeled
and grated
Dipping sauce; either Nuoc
Cham or HoisinPeanut
Sauce, recipes above and
below

Notes: From Orange County Registar

Cook's note: You can buy rice paper rounds and rice noodles in Asian
markets. Cook noodles according to package directions, generally about 3
minutes in boiling water. Drain and refresh with cold water. Drain well.

Ha Nguyen says that the hotter the water used to soak the rice paper, the
faster it will soften. She suggests that you push down firmly when you roll
up the filling in the moist rice paper rounds. You want to make a tight
cylinder.

1. Boil shrimp until just cooked, about 3 minutes. Refresh in cold water
and drain. Remove shells; devein and cut in half lengthwise. Set aside.

2. Place pork in large saucepan or Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring
to boil on high heat; cover and boil for 2530 minutes, or until pork is
thoroughly cooked. Test by cutting pork in half; no pink color should
remain in meat. Cool and cut into thin slices.

3. Soak one sheet of rice paper in hot tap water for about 10 seconds.
Remove and place on clean, flat surface. Put leafy part of 1 leaf of
lettuce, approximately 4inches wide and 3inches deep, on the bottom half
of the rice paper. Add 1 tablespoon rice noodle, 1 slice pork, 2 leaves
mint, 2 leaves basil, about 2 teaspoons grated carrots (if using). Roll
bottom (the portion closest to you) over to form a tight partial cylinder.
Fold right and left sides of rice paper toward the center.

4. Tuck shrimp and a piece of mint or basil into the pocket made by folding
the right and left sides in. Finish rolling rice paper into a cylinder.

5. Cover each roll with damp paper towels as you make it. Store airtight in
refrigerator.

6. Repeat until all rice papers are used.

Presentation: Pour dipping sauce or sauces into small bowls and serve with
rolls. If you prefer, you can cut the rolls in half diagonally.

Yield: 8 rolls

Nutritional information (per serving): 113 calories, 2.2 grams fat, 0.6
gram saturated fat, 54 milligrams cholesterol, 89 milligrams sodium, 18
percent calo ries from fat

Source: Orange Coast College cooking teacher Ha Nguyen

Posted to recipeludigest by ncanty@juno.com (Nadia I Canty) on Mar 27,
1998