These days, fresh rolls are everywhere you turn and for that, I am grateful. I used to just wait for my mom to make 'nam sroh' and watch her roll up one of my favourite meals. I say meals because I'd eat 4 in one sitting. There are so many ways to fill a fresh rice paper wrap but here's one way I've been enjoying lately.
I don't have measurements for this recipe but I say, use your intuition and leftover sliced vegetables never hurt anyone!
Ingredients
- rice paper
- carrots, julienned
- cucumber sticks
- bell peppers sticks
- mint leaves
- fried onions
- vermicelli noodles (or sheets if you have them, so convenient!)
- lettuce, washed and dried
And for the dip, do you even have to ask? (hint: it's got a cute little peanut man on it ;)
Steps
Step 1
Once you have all your fillings gathered, I set them up in little bowls (mise en place) in the order I plan on using them - that's just how my brain works. So my order would be (L-R)
Rice paper (plus vessel in which to soften with water) carrots, mint, vermicelli, fried onions, cucumber, bell pepper, lettuce.
Step 2
Once my station is ready I basically start assembling placing the ingredients top to bottom leaving about 2 inches of rice paper top to bottom, side to side and only placing the ingredients in the center-ish.
So starting at the top I place some julienned carrots, then tear some mint and place it after the carrots. On top of the mint a place a vermicelli sheet (perfectly portioned vermicelli found in most Asian grocers0 and on top of the vermicelli I sprinkle fried onions. Then on the lower edge of the vermicelli I place one cucumber stick and one pepper stick.
Step 3
I fold the left side of the rice paper over the toppings and taking a piece of lettuce (if it's leafy green, I use half a large leaf at a time) and I line it up with the edge of the bottom of the rice paper with the curly part of the leaf hanging out of the rice paper on the left side. I start curling the rice paper over the lettuce towards the rest of the fillings. Once I have reached the vermicelli, I fold the right half of the rice paper over everything and continue to roll until finished.
The trick is confidence and steadiness. Rice paper can absolutely smell fear. Don't let it win.
Step 4
Once you're done the fulfilling task of rolling up a few rolls, spoon some peanut sauce in a dipping vessel of your choice and enjoy all your hard work!
Or if you're like me and are no longer waiting for your mom to finish rolling to eat...just roll and eat as you go. Who makes the rules now anyways.
(No seriously, where did all the adults go??)
Enjoy!