Recipe // vietnamese spring rolls

April 5, 2013

Being half Vietnamese, I grew up eating a lot of Vietnamese food.  Fresh spring rolls are probably top on my list of favorite things to eat!  I love that they are so fresh, not fried, and you can really be adventurous if you want and try new fillings.

I like the traditional Vietnamese Spring Rolls that are made with Shrimp and Pork.  You can dip them in a peanut sauce or a fish sauce, and they are so tasty! (affiliate links are used in this post)

Vietnamese Spring Rolls (Goi Cuon)

Ingredients: 
1 teaspoon salt 
1 pound cooked small shrimp, tails removed sliced in half lengthwise
8 ounces thin rice vermicelli noodles 
Shredded lettuce 
1 bunch fresh mint leaves 
1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, removed from stems 
1 English cucumber or seeded regular cucumber, thinly sliced  
1 package rice paper (banh trang) – I prefer three ladies brand rice paper wraps
*can also add shredded carrots, and boiled pork

Directions: 
1) Follow package directions and cook rice vermicelli noodles.
2) Fill a medium bowl with warm water and quickly dip and spin a piece of rice paper into water; make sure to wet the entire piece. Lay it down on a cutting board. Place some lettuce leaf at the lower end of the rice paper. Add rice noodles, mint, cucumber and cilantro evenly across the rice paper. 
3) Roll the rice paper over the filling and tuck it underneath. Add shrimp with the sliced side facing up. Continue rolling while keeping tension on the rice paper for a tight roll. The roll will seal itself.
4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 until shrimp is gone. 


Serve with peanut Hoisin dipping sauce.

Makes 16-18 rolls to serve 6 to 8 as an appetizer

Spicy Peanut Hoisin Dipping Sauce Recipe (Nuoc Leo)

Ingredients: 
1 cup light chicken stock 
3 cloves garlic, minced 
1 tablespoon thick soy sauce 
4-5 tablespoons of Hoisin sauce 
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons crunchy or creamy peanut butter (natural or organic) 
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or diced chilies to taste  
1 ounce dry roasted peanuts, chopped



Directions: 
1) In a small sauce pan, add light stock and garlic. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.



2) Add thick soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, 4 tablespoons peanut butter and chili garlic sauce. Stir until peanut butter is dissolved and the sauce thickens. Add additional peanut butter until desired thickness is obtained. Adjust seasonings to taste. Garnish sauce with chopped peanuts.


Makes almost 2 cups of sauce

Enjoy!

easter basket goodies …

April 1, 2013

Happy Easter!

I just wanted to pop on to share a few ideas for Easter basket fillers.  I am a huge fan of holidays.  I love to put together fun things for my children that I know they will love.  I think it’s because I grew up with parents from foreign countries, so they didn’t totally “get” the American holidays, we always had a great time, but nothing too blown up.  Perhaps that’s why I tend to do a lot for my kids, because I want them to have those special memories for holidays!

I just love “playing” the Easter bunny!  I usually scout out a few treasures over several months, adding to the pile if I come across something fun for their baskets!

Above is my daughter Norah’s basket.  I always like to get a few non-candy items, this is what I put in: (sources listed)

– Calico Critters (too cute to resist) (amazon)
– A six color pen from paper source
– A little schelich plastic bunny rabbit (walmart)
– Lindt chocolate carrot (target)
– Chicklet gum (dollar store)
– A wallet she’s been wanting forever
– Yellow Surf Style Salt water sandals (amazon)
– Jelly Bellies (target)
– Annies Cheddar Bunny Snack Mix (target)
– A wind up toy (michaels)
– A duck pen that quacks when you push it (target)
– A pirate egg filled with squinkies (target/walmart)
– Our favorite Melissa and Doug Triangle Crayons (target)
– Wooden Excelsior as filling “grass”
– Wooden bushel basket (Hobby Lobby)

For the Boys, we got several of the same items plus:

– An angry birds keychain (target)
– Legos (michaels)
– Eric Carle coloring book (michaels)
– A tie (target)
– A bamboo toy car (local toy shop)

Hopefully this will give you some ideas for your Easter baskets in the future!

{photos by me}