Monster Media 1994 #1/monster.zip/monster/HEALTH/REC1048.ZIP/REC1048.TXT

Text File | 1994-01-03 | 28KB | 775 lines

Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes
Path: nuchat!taronga!arielle
From: [e-mail] (Michael Nelson)
Subject: COLLECTION: Vietnamese Spring Roll
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Followup-To: poster
Sender: [e-mail] (Stephanie da Silva)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Michael Nelson)
Organization: SeaHunt, San Francisco
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 1994 17:25:27 GMT
Approved: [e-mail]


The recipies listed below are a collection of variations of Vietnamese
Spring Rolls, originally uploaded to my BBS in a file called SROLLS.ZIP by
Mr. Stephen Ceideburg:


Spring's coming up soon (March 20) so what could be more
appropriate than posting a bunch of spring roll recipes. These
are the Vietnamese variety--smaller than the Chinese type and
more crisp. These can be made up through rolling and then covered
and kept in the fridge for several hours before cooking. They can
be held in a 350 degree oven for a couple of hours after cooking
if necessary and not lose anything during the wait. Make a bunch
and freeze 'em--they're great snacks.

I'm posting several variations including a vegetarian one
and one that is baked in the oven without oil for the calorie
conscious. Serve with a Vegetable Platter, nuoc cham, and carrot
salad along with a bowl of crab and asparagus soup for a complete
Vietnamese feast and a little saucer of tuong ot toi (a Vietnamese
chili sauce made of smashed red chilies and garlic). You can either
dip the roll directly into the paste or spoon a little of the paste
into the nuoc cham to spice things up a bit. This is available in
Asian markets or you can make it yourself by smashing up a handful
of red peppers with a two or three large cloves of garlic.

Here's the recipe for carrot salad. This recipe calls for
them to be cut into rounds, but I've seen it more often made with
very fine matchstick cut shreds and most of these recipes use it
in that form.

Pickled Carrots
Carot Chua

These pickles are often served as an accompaniment to
grilled foods that are wrapped in lettuce and herbs at the table.
You may also substitute daikon, radish, turnip, cucumber, garlic,
etc.

3 carrots
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Peel the carrots; cut crosswise into 1/8 inch rounds.

Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and 1/2 cup of water in a
small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove and let cool to room
temperature.

Add the carrot rounds to the mixture and marinate for at
least 1 hour. Drain the carrots before using.

Pickled carrots can be stored in a covered jar and refriger-
ated for 2 to 3 weeks.

Note: For a more appealing presentation, you can try carving
the carrots into decorative shapes before slicing.

Yield: 2 cups.

From "The Foods of Vietnam" by Nicole Rauthier. Stewart,
Tabori & Chang. 1989.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Vegetable Platter

Vietnamese meals include an abundance of fresh lettuce,
herbs, unripe fruits and raw vegetables. These are arranged
attractively on a platter and are used for wrapping cooked foods
at the table, usually dipped in Nuoc Cham and eaten out of hand.

The following herbs, both very important to the Vietnamese,
would be authentic additions to the Vegetable Platter: One is the
"saw leaf herb" (Eryngium foetidium), or ngo gai in Vietnamese),
a coriander relative. The other is polygonum (P. pulchrum or rau
ram in Vietnamese), with pinkish stems, pointed green leaves and
purplish markings. They can be found occasionally at Southeast
Asian markets. If you have access to unripe mango, banana, papaya
or apple and star fruit (carambola), add them to the platter. You
may select or substitute the ingredients according to availabili-
ty and personal taste.

1 large head of Boston or other soft lettuce, separated into
individual leaves
1 bunch of scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
1 cup coriander leaves
1 cup mint leaves
1 cup fresh Asian or regular basil leaves
1 cucumber, peeled in alternating strips, halved lengthwise and
slice thinly crosswise
4 ounces fresh bean sprouts
Pickled shallots (optional) [These are actually pickled spring
onion bulbs. Asian markets carry them. S.C.]

On a large platter, decoratively arrange all of the ingredi-
ents in separate groups. Use in recipes where required.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

From "The Foods of Vietnam" by Nicole Rauthier. Stewart,
Tabori & Chang. 1989.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Peanut Sauce for Spring Rolls

Peanut Sauce
Nuoc Leo

1/4 cup roasted peanuts, ground
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chili paste (tuong ot tuoi)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken broth or water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 fresh red chile pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

Prepare the roasted peanuts. Set aside. [I use unsalted
Planter's roasted peanuts. S.C.]

Heat the oil in a small saucepan. When the oil is hot add
the garlic chili paste and tomato paste. Fry until the garlic is
golden brown, about 30 seconds. Add the broth, sugar, peanut
butter and hoisin sauce and whisk to dissolve the peanut butter.
Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.

Divide the sauce among individual dipping bowls and garnish
with the ground peanuts and slice chile. Server warm or at room
temperature.

Yield: about 1 cup.

From "The Foods of Vietnam" by Nicole Rauthier. Stewart,
Tabori & Chang. 1989.


Nuoc Leo

1 clove garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small piece of pork liver (see note below), minced
1 tablespoon ground pork
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/4 cup tuong
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds
10 Roasted Peanuts, coarsely chopped [See note above. S.C.]
Thin strips of hot pepper for garnish

Using medium heat, fry the garlic in the oil. Add the liver
and pork. Lower the heat and add the tomato paste; stir and add
the tuong. Stir again and add the water and peanut butter. Raise
the heat to medium and add the sugar. Boil for 1 minute and
transfer to a bowl.

Add the sesame seeds to a medium-hot frying pan, stirring
constantly until browned. This should take 2 to 3 minutes. Add
the sesame seeds to the nuoc leo, along with the chopped peanuts.

The sauce can be garnished with thin strips of hot pepper.

Note: Beef or chicken liver can be substituted, but pork
liver is preferred. The piece should be the size of a large
chicken liver.

From "The Classic Cuisine of Vietnam", Bach Ngo and Gloria
Zimmerman, Barron's, 1979.


Buddhist Nuoc Leo

This sauce is used in Buddhist vegetarian dishes...

1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons tuong
2 tablespoons water
Fresh hot red chili slices to taste (optional)
1 tablespoon Roasted Peanuts [See note above S.C.]

Mix the sugar with the tuong and water. Add some slices of
fresh red chili pepper, if desired, and sprinkle with roasted
peanuts.

From "The Classic Cuisine of Vietnam", Bach Ngo and Gloria
Zimmerman, Barron's, 1979.

------------------------------------------------------------------

From: MATT HORBUND

NUOC CHAM DIPPING SAUCE

Here is that Vietnamese dipping sauce a few people asked
for...followed by 7 other Viet. recipes from the APRIL 1989 issue
of Food and Wine from THE ETHNIC KITCHEN by MARCIA KIESEL
...everything is from the article unless you see MH next to it
(that's me!)

+MAKES ABOUT 2 and 1/2 cups+

1 t Crushed hot red pepper
1 T distilled white vinegar
1/2 C fish sauce (NUOC MAM, available at Asian Markets)
1/4 C fresh lime juice
1 small carrot-finely shredded, rinsed and squeezed dry
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1/2 C sugar

1)In a small dish, soak the hot pepper in the vinegar for 2
minutes.

2)In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, lime juice,
carrot, garlic and sugar. Stir in 1 1/2 cups warm water and the
hot pepper-vinegar mixture. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Serve
at room temperature. Store the sauce in a jar in the refrigerator
for up to 3 days.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Nuoc Cham  (Vietnamese Chili Sauce for dipping)

2 Dried red chilies
2 Cloves garlic
1/2 t Sugar
2 T Fish sauce
1 T Vinegar
1 T Lemon juice

Mince chilies and garlic finely and place in a mortar. Mash
with the heel of a cleaver or pestle. Add sugar and stir until it
dissolves. Add fish sauce, vinegar and lemon juice, stirring
between each addition. This makes enough for 2-4 people.

From "Great Asia Steambook" by Irene Wong. Published by
Taylor and Ng, distributed by Random House. 1977. ISBN 0-912738-
11-1.

Variations: use green serrano chilies instead of dried red
ones, lime juice instead of the lemon juice or palm sugar instead
of granulated. If you make it in a food processor, don't over
process. It should have small chunks of each ingredient rather
than being a homogeneous liquid.

Fish sauce is a liquid made with anchovies and salt. It's
not really fishy tasting. Look for it in the oriental section of
supermarkets or at markets catering to Asian clientele.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Spring Rolls
Cha Gio

Yields 80 spring rolls.

Filling:

2 ounces cellophane noodles, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes,
then drained and cut onto 1-inch lengths
1 pound ground pork
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tree ears, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes,
then drained and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 shallots or white part of 3 scallions, finely chopped
1 can (7 ounces) crabmeat, cartilage removed and meat flaked with
fingers
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparations for assembling and frying:

20 sheets dried rice papers (banh trang)
4 eggs, well beaten
2 cups peanut oil

Accompaniments for serving:

Basic Vegetable Platter
Carrot Salad
Double recipe of Nuoc Cham

Combine the filling ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Cut a round rice paper sheet into quarters. Place the cut
rice paper on a flat surface. With a pastry brush, paint the
beaten egg over the entire surface of each of the pieces. Before
filling, wait for the egg mixture to take effect, softening the
wrappers; this takes about 2 minutes. When you become adept at
this, you can work on several wrappers at a time.

When the wrapper looks soft and transparent, place about 1
teaspoon of filling near the curved side, in the shape of a
rectangle. Fold the sides over to enclose the filling and contin-
ue to roll.

After filling all the wrappers, pour the oil into a large
frying pan, put the spring rolls into the cold oil, turn the heat
to moderate, and fry for 20 to 30 minutes, until a lovely golden
brown. (This is Bach's special method of keeping spring rolls
crisp).

To serve the spring rolls, proceed as follows:

Arrange the ingredients for the vegetable platter (lettuce,
mint leaves, coriander, and the cucumber slices) according to the
directions preceding. Have ready the carrot salad and a bowl of
nuoc cham. Each person has a bowl into which he places a bit of
lettuce, 2 or 3 mint leaves, some coriander, and 2 cucumber
slices. Each person then adds 1 or 2 spring rolls to his bowl,
sprinkles with the nuoc cham, and eats the spring rolls and
vegetables together, using chopsticks or a fork. Additional
carrot salad may be added to taste.

Another very popular serving method calls for placing the
vegetables on a lettuce leaf, adding the spring roll, and rolling
it into a cylinder. Holding the cylinder with his fingers, each
diner then dips it into his own small bowl of nuoc cham.

Note: We have found that frying the spring rolls in peanut
oil keeps them crisper than frying in any other oil.

From "The Classic Cuisine of Vietnam", Bach Ngo and Gloria
Zimmerman, Barron's, 1979.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

This is another version of the superlative Cha Gio (also
called Nems). The filling here is a bit more elaborate than in
the first one.

Fried Spring Rolls
Cha Gio

8 ounces of thin rice vermicelli (bun) or 2 bundles of Japanese
alimentary paste noodles (somen).
Nuoc Cham with Shredded Carrot and Daikon [This is a variant of
the carrot salad in the previous post in which the carrots are
shredded and shredded daikon is added in a 1 to 2 ratio with
the carrots. S.C.]
Vegetable Platter

Filling:

6 dried Chinese mushrooms
1 tablespoon dried tree ear mushrooms
6 water chestnuts or 1/2 small jicama, peeled and chopped
4 ounces fresh or canned lump crabmeat, picked over and drained
8 ounces raw shrimp, shelled, deveined and minced
12 ounces ground pork shoulder
1 medium onion, minced
4 shallots, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs

Assembling and frying:

1/2 cup sugar
80 small rounds of rice paper (banh trang), each 6 1/2 inches in
diameter
Peanut oil, for frying

Boil the noodles. Prepare the Nuoc Cham and Vegetable Plat-
ter. Set aside.

Prepare the filling: Soak the two types of mushrooms in hot
water until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain. Remove the stems from
the mushrooms and squeeze to extract the liquid. Mince the mush-
rooms.

Combine the mushrooms with the remaining filling ingredients
in a large bowl. Mix with your hands to blend. Set aside.

Assemble the rolls: Fill a mixing bowl with 4 cups of warm
water and dissolve the sugar in it. The rice paper sheets are
brittle and must be handled with care. (The water is used to
soften the sheets for handling. Sweetening the water helps the
rice paper turn a deep golden color when fried and also produces
crisper rolls.)

Work with only 4 sheets of rice paper at a time, keeping the
remaining sheets covered with a barely damp cloth to prevent
curling. One at a time, immerse a sheet in the warm water. Quick-
ly remove it and spread flat on a dry towel. Do not let the
sheets touch each other. The rice paper will become pliable
within seconds.

Fold up the bottom third of each round. Put 1 generous
teaspoon of filling in the center of the folded-over portion.
Press into a compact rectangle. Fold one side of the paper over
the mixture, then the other side. Roll from bottom to top to
completely enclose the filling. Continue until all of the mixture
is used.

Fry the rolls: If possible, fry in 2 skillets. Pour 1 to 1
1/2 inches of oil into each skillet and heat to 325 degrees
Fahrenheit. Working in batches, add some of the rolls to each
skillet, but do not crowd or let them touch, or they will stick
together. Fry over moderate heat for 10 to 12 minutes, turning
often, until golden and crisp. Remove the rolls with tongs and
drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a low oven while frying the
remaining rolls.

Traditionally, Cha Gio is served with the accompaniments
suggested in this recipe.

To eat, each diner wraps a roll in a lettuce leaf along with
a few strands of noodles and a variety of other ingredients from
the Vegetable Platter before dipping it in the Nuoc Cham. If
served as an hors d'ouvre, allow 4 or 5 rolls per person; serve 8
to 10 as a main course.

Note: Another popular way of serving this dish is to divide
the noodles and elements of the  Vegetable Platter evenly among
the individual bowls. Top each with cut-up pieces of Cha Gio,
ground roasted peanuts and Nuoc Cham.

As a quick and easy appetizer, Cha Gio can be served with
just Nuoc Cham.

Yield: about 80 spring rolls.

From "The Foods of Vietnam" by Nicole Rauthier. Stewart,
Tabori & Chang. 1989.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Fried Shrimp Rolls
Cha Gio Tom

Accompaniments:

Nuoc Cham with Shredded Carrot and Daikon
1 bunch of mint
1 bunch of coriander

Filling:

1 ounce cellophane (bean thread) noodles
4 ounces lean ground beef
4 ounces ground pork shoulder
4 ounces fresh or canned crabmeat, picked over and drained
4 shallots, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
2 tablespoons nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg

Assembling and frying:

1/2 cup sugar
24 rounds of rice paper (banh trang) each 8 1/2 inches in diame-
ter.
24 raw medium shrimp, peeled with tail section attached, deveined
Peanut oil, for frying

Prepare the Nuoc Cham. Wash and dry the mint and coriander
leaves. Set aside.

Prepare the filling: Soak the noodles in warm water for 30
minutes. Drain. Cut into 1-inch lengths.

Assemble the rolls: Fill a mixing bowl with 4 cups of warm
water and dissolve the sugar in it. Rice paper is quite fragile.
Work with only 2 sheets at a time, keeping the remaining sheets
covered with a barely damp cloth to prevent curling.

Immerse 1 sheet of rice paper into the warm water. Remove
and spread flat on a dry towel. Soak a second sheet of rice paper
and spread it out without touching the other round. The rice
papers will become pliable within seconds.

Fold up the bottom third of each round. Place 1/2 tablespoon
of the filling in the center of the folded-over portion. Place 1
shrimp in the filling, leaving the tail section extended over the
fold line. Top the shrimp with an additional 1/2 tablespoon of
filling and press into a compact triangle, forming a point where
the tail extends (it is important that the filling be flat so it
can be wrapped entirely and tightly). Fold the sides over to
enclose the filling, then fold the remaining sides over to seal
the compact triangle. The completed roll resembles a triangle
with a handle. Fill the remaining wrappers in the same manner.

Fry the rolls: If possible, fry in 2 skillets. Pour 1 to 1
1/2 inches of oil into each skillet and heat to 325 degrees
Fahrenheit. Add a few rolls to each skillet; don't let them touch
or they will stick together. Cook over moderate heat for 10 to 12
minutes, turning often until crisp and golden brown. Drain the
rolls on paper towels. Keep warm in a low oven while frying the
remaining rolls.

Serve the shrimp rolls as an appetizer with the Nuoc Cham,
mint and coriander leaves.

Note: These rolls may be cooked in advance then reheated in
a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 20 minutes, or until crisp.

Yield: 24 shrimp rolls.

From "The Foods of Vietnam" by Nicole Rauthier. Stewart,
Tabori & Chang. 1989.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Fried Vegetarian Spring Rolls
Cha Gio Chay

Accompaniments:

Vegetable Platter
8 ounces thin rice vermicelli (bun) or 2 bundles Japanese alimen-
tary paste noodles (somen).
Peanut sauce or Nuoc Cham [I would use both. S.C.]

Filling:

1 ounce cellophane (bean thread) noodles
1 tablespoon dried tree ear mushrooms
6 dried Chinese mushrooms
1 large carrot, finely shredded
1 large leek, white part only, chopped
6 water chestnuts, or 1/2 small jicama, peeled and chopped
1 pound firm bean curd (tofu), crumbled
1 cup fresh bean sprouts, coarsely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Assembly and frying:

1/2 cup sugar
40 small rounds of rice papers (banh trang), 6 1/2 inches in
diameter
Peanut oil for frying.

Prepare the Vegetable Platter, noodles and dipping sauce.
Set aside.

Soak the noodles in warm water and the mushrooms in hot
water for 30 minutes. D4rain. cut the noodles into 1/2-inch
lengths. Remove and discard the stems from the mushrooms; squeeze
to extract most of the soaking liquid. Mince all of the mush-
rooms.

Combine all of the filling ingredients in a large mixing
bowl; blend well with your hands. Set aside.

Assemble the rolls: Fill a large bowl with 4 cups of warm
water and dissolve the sugar in it.

Rice paper is quite fragile. Work with only 4 sheets at a
time, keeping the remaining sheets covered with a barely damp
cloth to prevent curling.

Immerse the rice paper, one sheet at a time, into the sweet-
ened warm water. Quickly withdraw it and lay it flat on a dry
towel. Do this with 4 sheets without letting them touch each
other. The rice paper will become pliable within seconds.

Fold over the bottom third of each round. Put 1 generous
teaspoon of filling in the center of the folded-over portion.
Press it into a compact rectangle. Fold one side of the paper
over the mixture, then the other side. Roll from the bottom to
the top to completely enclose the filling. Continue until all of
the mixture is used. (The rolls can be prepared 1 day in advance.
Wrap and refrigerate.)

Fry the rolls: If possible use 2 skillets. Pour 1 to 1 1/2
inches of oil into each skillet and heat to 325 degrees Fahren-
heit. Working in batches, add some of the rolls without letting
them touch, or they will stick together. Fry for 10 to 12
minutes, turning often, until golden and crisp. Remove the rolls
from the oil with tongs and drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a
low oven until all of th rolls are cooked.

To serve, each diner wraps a roll in a lettuce leaf along
with some noodles and selected items from the Vegetable Platter
and dips the package in the dipping sauce.

Note: The fried rolls can be frozen, then thawed and reheat-
ed in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven just to crisp and heat through.

Yield: 40 rolls.

From "The Foods of Vietnam" by Nicole Rauthier. Stewart,
Tabori & Chang. 1989.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Square Spring Roll
Ram Goi

1/2 pound raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
Black pepper
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 scallions, both white and green parts
1/2 pound pork butt
1 teaspoon fish sauce (nuoc mam)
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
10 dried rice papers (banh trang)

Cut the shrimp into small pieces and sprinkle with the black
pepper and the sugar. Slice the scallions crosswise into very
thin slices. Slice the pork into thin pieces, 3 x 2 x 1/8 inches.

Combine half the slice scallion with the shrimp and meat,
the fish sauce, and a dash of black pepper.

Chop the garlic fine; place on a platter near the stove,
along with the remaining scallions.

Heat the oil and fry the garlic and remaining scallion
briefly until they brown slightly. Add the pork-shrimp mixture
and keep stirring over high heat until cooked, about 5 minutes.

Cut or break the 10 rice papers into quarters. Place the cut
rice papers on a flat surface. Using a pastry brush, or your
fingers, paint water over the entire surface of each of the
pieces; this is to make the brittle papers become soft and flexi-
ble. Try working an about 10 quarters at a time. This will help
you work faster. While some of the wrappers become pliable, you
can be filling the others.

Place 2 pieces of shrimp and 2 small pieces of pork on the
pointed end of a paper, arranging the filling in a square shape.
Bend the pointed end over the filling and roll twice, then fold
the sides over and continue to roll into a 2-inch-long cylinder
about 1 inch thick. Place on a tray, with the open end on the
underside to prevent unrolling, while you fill the remaining
rolls. Place the rolls in the oven, directly on the oven rack,
without preheating. (They can be crowded together while baking so
that you can get many onto 1 rack.) Again, be certain to place
them open end down; turn the oven to 350 degrees and bake them
approximately 40 minutes, 20 minutes on each side.

From "The Classic Cuisine of Vietnam", Bach Ngo and Gloria
Zimmerman, Barron's, 1979.

------------------------------------------------------------------

From: BARB BURGESS

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

INGREDIENTS

8 oz chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp water
2 tsp orange juice concentrate, frozen
1 tsp peanut butter
1/2 tsp chile paste, Oriental
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp cornstarch
8 shiitake mushrooms, dried
2 oz rice vermicelli noodles
2 Tbsp peanut or safflower oil
1 Tbsp gingerroot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 green onions, minced
1 red pepper, sweet, julienned
3 Tbsp coriander or parsley, fresh, chopped
30 rice paper triangles (or 16 rounds)
6 cup vegetable oil for deep frying

DIRECTIONS

Cut chicken into 1-1/2 x 1/2 inch strips. In bowl, blend soy
sauce and hoisin sauces, water, orange juice concentrate, peanut
butter, chili paste and sesame oil until smooth. Stir in
cornstarch. Add chicken and stir to coat; marinate for 15 minutes.

Cover mushrooms with warm water; soak for 15 to 50 minutes
or until softened. Drain and rinse; discard stems and slice caps
into thin strips.

Meanwhile, break noodles into 1-1/2 inch long pieces. Place
in bowl and cover with water; soak for 5 minutes, then drain. In
saucepan of boiling water, cook noodles for 5 minutes. Drain and
rinse with cold water; drain well.

In wok or skillet, heat peanut oil over med-high heat; cook
ginger, garlic and onions for 30 seconds. Add red pepper and
mushrooms; cook for 3 minutes. Add chicken with marinade; cook
for 3 to 4 minutes or just until chicken is no longer pink
inside. Stir in noodles and coriander; let cool.

Dip rice papers, one at a time, into warm water to soften;
lay out on damp tea towels in a single layer. Place about 2 Tbsp
filling in centre of each triangular sheet (or 1/4 cup in each
round sheet). Fold up bottom over filling; fold sides over and
roll up tightly. (Rolls can be covered with damp tea towel in
separate layers and refrigerated for up to 8 hours)

In wok or Dutch oven, heat oil over med-high heat to 375F.
Fry rolls, in batches, for about 5 minutes or until crisp and
golden on all sides. Drain on rack. Makes 16 large or 30 small
rolls.

Instead of deep-frying, steam spring rolls in greased steam-
er for 5 minutes, or bake for 20 minutes in 400 degree oven.
Assembled spring rolls can also be eaten without being cooked.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
From: MARY POLIAK

Cha Gio

2Tb tree ear mushrooms
1 cup soaked, roughly chopped bean thread noodles
1lb ground pork
1/2lb chopped shrimp or crabmeat
1Tb fish sauce
1tsp each salt & pepper(white)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup each chopped red onion & chives
8" rounds Rice paper
Beer
Mint,basil & coriander leaves
Lettuce leaves
Cucumber slices

Dipping sauce

1/4 cup minced garlic
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup lime juice
1Tbs. sugar
1tsp. Sa-te oil

Soak tree ears, set aside bean thread noodles. Chop pork to
a finer consistency, put it in a bowl and add shrimp or  crab,
fish sauce, salt, pepper, garlic, onions and chives. Drain and
dry the tree ears and add them. Add the bean thread noodles and
blend thoroughly kneading with the hands.

Brush the rice paper on each side with the beer and set
aside. Cover with a cloth as you work. They take a minute or two
to soften.

Put a heaping spoonful of the filling across the bottom
third of the rice skin. Tuck away from you twice. Fold the sides
over, then continue to roll. Seal with beaten egg and cornstarch.
Fry in oil about 350x until golden. serve with lettuce leaves,
garnishes and dip sauce.

This is from the "Art of Asian Cooking" by Bruce Cost. I was
fortunate to have taken classes from him in Berkeley.