The BEST Spring Roll Recipe

WHAT?! Two posts in one day!?! It must be break... and I must be bored. :P (Or maybe I'm just getting better at this whole blogging deal... I'd like to think the latter is true... but we all know it most likely is not. Ha)

Oh spring rolls... how I love thee. The inspiration to make these delectable, savory treats this evening came from my building. Every Monday evening they supply us with a dinner if we choose to purchase it. Usually they offer pizza for $1.50 (recently increased from $1.00 ***gasp***), which I usually opt out of because I enjoy home made pizza more than that from a chain restaurant. However, tonight the woman in charge of said order-ins decided to go for sushi from the restaurant across the street. Now this is advertised all weekend, but it wasn't until this morning that I woke up and had an epiphany... SPRING ROLLS... what a great accompaniment.

Not just ANY spring rolls at that. It is my firm belief that these are the best spring rolls out there. The recipe comes from Mark Bittman, cook, blogger, columnist, traveler, genius. (If you have not previously stumbled upon his blog, Bitten, I highly recommend you do so. I recently made a fried rice recipe he posted in his "Minimalist" column for the New York Times, so simple, yet so divine.) These spring rolls contain non of those frou frou cellophane noodles to detract from the flavor of the other ingredients and fill your mouth with nonsense. (Yes... cellophane noodles in a spring roll are, in my opinion, complete nonsense.) For me, the key is in the dipping sauce (simple and light with a little extra kick) and the mint... yum... every other bite I got a mouthful of mint that perked up my taste buds. :) One of my favorite aspects of these spring rolls is the transparency of the rice paper, allowing you to view it's colorful contents.

Okay... I'm too excited... on to the recipe. (Oh... I thought it pertinent to mention that whilst I'm typing this, the song Twisted Nerve by Bernard Herrmann (the song whistled by Elle Driver in 'Kill Bill' as she goes to kill a comatose Uma Thurman) is running through my head and escaping my whistling lips. It's a fun one.)

Spring Rolls

Courtesy of Mark Bittman's 'How to Cook Everything'

Yield: 4 spring rolls

Ingredients

• 1 small, fresh chile, minced, or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 Tablespoon rice or other mild vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon fish sauce (nuoc mam or nam pla, available at Asian markets) or soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (On a side note, in lieu of a garlic press (and me being too cheap to purchase one) I have become quite the garlic mincing pro using a knife.)
• 8 medium-to-large shrimp, cooked, peeled, and cut in half the long way (precooked shrimp are okay, as are leftovers of any type) (I used 10 on account of I wanted to end up with slightly more than 4 rolls)
• 1 cup peeled and grated, shredded, or julienned carrots (Until now I don't think I have ever julienned carrots... it is quite difficult)
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 2 scallions, cut into slivers the long way (This were equally as tough to accomplish, if not more. Again, I slightly increased the amount, to three, for more spring rolls)
• 2 Tablespoons roughly chopped, fresh mint leaves
• 2 Tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro leaves
• 2 Tablespoons roughly chopped peanuts (Bittman says salted are okay... but I opted for the unsalted variety)
• 4 sheets rice paper, 8 to 10 inches in diameter (I ended up with about 7 spring rolls... and thus needed 7 of my round rice papers... which is no problem because the wrappers are generally sold in larger quantities. What on earth will I do with the rest of them?)

Preparation

Combine the first six ingredients and set aside as a dipping sauce.

Prepare the other ingredients and set them out on your work surface. Set out a bowl of hot water (110 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit) and a clean kitchen towel.

Put a sheet of rice paper into the water for about ten seconds, just until soft (Don't let it become too soft; it will continue to soften as you work). (Really... there is a delicate balance between just right and too much, as, if you soak too much, your rice paper will become a gooey, unworkable mess. You want them to just become pliable.) Lay it on the towel.

In the middle of the rice paper, lay a few shrimp pieces (I went for three halves per spring roll... might have needed 4 for a more shrimpy flavor.) and about a quarter of each of the carrots, bean sprouts, scallions, mint, cilantro, and peanuts. Roll up the rice paper, keeping it fairly tight, and folding in the ends to seal. (My method is about two rolls, fold in the edges, and then finish rolling.) Repeat this process until all the ingredients are used up. Serve with dipping sauce... and enjoy!!! :D

Beautiful, non? Maybe not... I have made these three times now and I don't remember them ever being so difficult to assemble. My first roll was an utter disaster due to my over soaking of the rice paper. Literally... the paper turned almost to goo as I was rolling it up and I was forced to pour out the contents and start over. :( I don't recall this happening any of the other 2 times I've made these... but, then again, my memory is pretty poor...so it's possible I just blocked out the devastating aspects of preparing this dish.

Of course, I would say that my spring rolls were better tasting (by bounds and leaps) than the sushi offered by my building. The sushi was average at best, but had a lot of those little, burst-in-your-mouth eggs that make eating sushi such a fun experience. The overall flavor was nothing to write home about... especially because I'm pretty sure the restaurant they were purchased from is a Caribbean one. :/

Yum... can't wait to eat more tomorrow!!

Oh... P.S.

Today I began the process (yet again) of making my very own sourdough starter. I embarked on this mission while home for winter break... but ultimately abandoned it as I didn't have my King Arthur baking book or the proper ingredients. (I wonder if the starter is still lurking in the refrigerator back at home. Knowing my family... it probably is... and is now a living, breathing mass of yeast and mold.) This time around, however, I made sure to purchase the proper flour and am aided by Sir Arthur, King of Bakery. I'll be sure to photograph each step as my starter ferments, bubbles, and becomes a living creature for me to nourish and care for. :)

Over and out blogosphere.