Vietnamese Spring Rolls

I'll be honest, these spring rolls are kind of a pain to make. The thin rice paper wrappers are a nightmare if you've never worked with them before. The results, however, are quite rewarding--especially on a warm summer day. Light and refreshing, I like to think these spring rolls are relatively healthy. I realize it's not exactly summer yet, but these things ARE called spring rolls for a reason, so this was how I spent my Monday afternoon.

I love all the colors in this spring roll. I especially love cutting them in half after carefully rolling them up. That cross section is what I live for.

I don't have a specific recipe for them, but that's the beauty of it. You don't like mint? Screw mint. You want to be a rebel and add some apple matchsticks? Go for it. I think it may be a good idea actually...

Here's a short list of my ingredients. Go crazy.

pork:

marinate briefly in fish sauce, grated ginger, garlic, honey, water

cook well in sauté pan

shrimp:

simply blanch, shock in ice water, and peel

carrot:

make thin strands with vegetable peeler

iceberg lettuce:

shred

cucumber:

cut into thin matchsticks (I prefer Persian cucumbers over English)

mint and cilantro:

pick leaves off the stems

rice noodles:

cook according to directions on package, shock in ice water, dry well

peanut sauce:

chunky peanut butter, fish sauce, lime juice, honey, grated garlic, serrano pepper, rice wine vinegar, water

working with the rice paper:

DO NOT OVER WET IT! It may look like it's still hard, but trust me, a quick dip in warm water is all it needs. I just put a little bit of water at the bottom of a flat plate, and lay the wrapper on the water briefly on both sides. It will soften up some more while you put all the ingredients in their place. By the time you're ready to roll it up, it'll be ready to go.