Hanoi Spring rolls

Ingredients
Marinade

½ cup shallots, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon coconut caramel – substitute molasses if coconut caramel is hard to find*
Fried Spring Rolls: Nem Rán

5 scallions, white and green parts finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped cilantro
¼ cup finely chopped wood ear mushrooms
½ cup finely sliced shiitake mushroom caps
1 carrot, julienned or coarsely grated
1 small kohlrabi bulb, peeled and julienned or coarsely grated
½ lb ground pork
½ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 handful bean sprouts, torn into pieces
1 bunch vermicelli noodles, soaked in warm water for 5 minutes and drained
2 eggs

1 package small rice paper wrappers
Vegetable oil for frying

* coconut caramel can be found at Asian markets
Dipping Sauce: Nuóc Châm

2 tablespoons fish sauce
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons warm water
½ teaspoon lime zest
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 small red chilies, thinly sliced into rounds


Preparation
Marinade

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
Fried Spring Rolls: Nem Rán

Cut the vermicelli noodles into 2-inch long pieces with kitchen sheers and place the noodles in a bowl with the remaining spring roll ingredients. Whisk the eggs into the marinade and then pour the marinade over the spring roll filling. Mix the filling together with your hands for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is well blended.

Place a shallow bowl of warm water next to the filling and put a damp kitchen towel in front of you. Dip one rice paper sheet at a time into the warm water, moving it around until it becomes soft – about 30 seconds. Remove the rice paper sheet and place it on the damp towel. Take a small handful – about ¼ cup – of the filling mixture and put it in the middle of the wrapper, about 1/3 from the bottom of the circle. Leave at least an inch on all sides of the filling. First fold the bottom 1/3 of the wrapper up like a sushi roll, tightly covering the filling. Next fold in the sides of the wrapper in, and then tightly roll the spring roll up into a cylinder. Repeat until all filling has been used.

Fill a high-sided pan with 2 inches of vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the spring rolls and fry, turning often, until just beginning to turn golden. Remove the spring rolls and place on a paper towel lined sheet to drain. Bring the oil to the point of almost smoking and fry the spring rolls again, this time until they are deep golden and very crispy on all sides. Drain on fresh paper towels and serve hot.
Dipping Sauce: Nuóc Châm

In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients together until the sugar has dissolved. Transfer to a serving bowl and let rest at room temperature until serving.


Source: thecitykitchensf.com