Mini Viet fresh spring rolls

Wow, an almost two week absence from blogging. I apologise, dear readers. I haven't forgotten this blog, at all. In fact I have taken photos at least every other day. I'm still adjusting to my new job, my new life, and my new hobby of reading a book at night before sleeping (during the time I used to blog). Yep, that's right, I probably won't have time to read my book tonight. :P

my plate of fresh spring rolls

Anyway … on to the food we ate tonight!

My wife decided to make Vietnamese-style fresh spring rolls. Yummmy!! I know it's winter, and it's usually enjoyed during warmer times of the year. But it was delicious. The most fun thing about this dish, however, is the making of it. It's more fun to wrap it up than to just gobble it down. You get to eat the 'funny' ones which tastes the best because it was just freshly wrapped.

We used small-sized round rice paper rolls. It was my first time to use this small size rather than the large, normal size that you get served at most restaurants. It means more wrapping, and perhaps less filling, but it's bite-size and cute (if you wrap it properly).

No prawns this time. But we pan-fried some frozen chicken that was pre-marinated with ginger and garlic mince (my wife's doings and planning). So yummy. I charred the meat a little bit, as you can see in the close-up photo of the spring roll in my hand. That flavour reminds me of the barbecued foods that I had in Hanoi... just a little black, but never bitter. Mouthwatering sights, smells, and tastes. 

The nước chấm sauce was a bit disappointing, at first. We used Luke Nguyen's recipe, and was hoping it would turn out to be authentic: mild but not boring either, like the one we enjoy at our new favourite Vietnamese restaurant in Canberra, Can Tho. Ours turned out a little bit too vinegary … and perhaps not enough time for the garlic to infuse into the liquid. Not to mention our organic garlic is starting to sprout and have green in the middle, so the flavour is not as good. We'll have to figure a way of keeping them from sprouting if we are to make the most of all the garlic we planted last month!

The hoi sin sauce was better. Mixed with a bit of lemon (the masterchef's idea, of course), and a delicious sweet dipping sauce was born. But even the nước chấm sauce was actually not too bad when it was eaten with the spring roll. It just wasn't perfect when we tasted it on its own.

My darling also taught me how to julienne carrots, so no more excuses for not doing it anymore for me!! The rolls were garnished with coriander leaves, and towards the end, I suggested we put coriander stalks inside too. Adds colour, and less wasted bits.

It's so fun to assemble your meal, and a nice change to eat something that's not sizzling hot and taken right off the frypan or oven. Cold food doesn't necessarily make you cold. I want to do this again in the near future … perhaps with prawns next time.  

close-up shot of my spring roll; yes the bottom end is a little funny!