Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Jun 3, 2009

When I was living in Hawaii, my Vietnamese friend taught me how to make spring rolls consisting of pork, cucumber, lettuce, noodles, mint, and pineapple. I called it the Hawaiian Spring Roll. She told me you can put whatever you want in a spring roll, if you like it, eat it. Ever since then, I make random Spring Rolls with what I have and what I want to try. My favorite is still hers, the pineapple gives it a surprising sweet and sour taste you don't expect.
I start off by grilling thin pork chops that I marinated with 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp of brown sugar, pepper, and a juice of half a lemon.
I grill the pork in a cast iron skillet for 3-4 minutes on each side. I let it rest for a few minutes before cutting it in strips.


Ingredients
1/4 cup red bell pepper, julienne
1/4cup of lettuce, shredded
1/4 cup of carrots, julienne
1 ounce of vermicelli noodles, cooked in boiling water for 3-4 minutes
4 rice paper wrappers

Feel free to add more or less to your spring roll

Directions:
Dip the rice paper in warm water until it is soft and pliable
Place pork, carrots, bell pepper, lettuce, and noodles at the bottom of the rice paper. Fold rice paper over the ingredients, then fold again on each side, and then roll.

Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:
2 tbs of smooth peanut butter
2 tbs of water
1 tsp of chili garlic sauce
1 tbs of lemon juice
1 tsp of sesame oil
sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds
chili sauce (optional)

Directions:
In a bowl, wisk all ingredients together until smooth. Sprinkle sesame seeds or chopped peanuts on top


Directions:
Dip the rice paper in warm water until it is soft and pliable
Place pork, carrots, bell pepper, lettuce, and noodles at the bottom of the rice paper. Fold rice paper over the ingredients, then fold again on each side, and then roll.