Now, let me preface this by saying, I don't know squat about Asian cuisine. I've tried to make stir fry and failed miserably. It never tastes the same as the restaurant and over all is bland and boring. When Teri invited us over for lunch, I immediately asked if she could show us some techniques. She agreed but all the while saying how she's not an expert and likes to cut corners. I knew that what she was going to make would be great, whatever the avenue and I was right.
We walked into her beautifully decorated house, full of pictures of family and friends and aromas calling me to the kitchen. I made a bee-line for the island where she was rolling spring rolls. I peppered her with questions, with baby on hip and camera hand. She gracefully picked up each ingredient with her chopsticks and placed them in the wrapper. I was envious of her chopstick abilities. She made it looks so easy.
1. Take one rice paper that has been soaked in water until soft and lay it out.
2. Lay a piece of fresh green leaf lettuce down. Top with cooked rice noodles.
3. Top with Vietnamese version of ham, two slices. (she mentioned that sometimes they used shredded pork)
4. Take edge closest to you and start to roll, tucking in as you go. Fold in just right side. Do just one turn then place 3 shrimp halves down. Fold in left side to hold down shrimp.
5. Lay down a long piece of chive, leaving a tail hanging out to the left. Her chives looked different than the chives I've seen. More like a blade of grass than the tubal shape of the ones I get. It tasted very good.
6. Gently roll up the spring roll to hold it all together. The wrapper is very sticky and holds very well.
All of that was topped with a green onion mixture (that I didn't get the 411 on), fresh mint, cilantro (if you like) and a fish sauce. Now, let me say, I was scared of the fish sauce. I've had some before and was so turned off. But Teri's was delightful, it was salty, sweet and brought the perfect amount of moisture to the dish.
Teri held Wil as I shovel this amazing meal into my mouth (and I would have used a shovel, had I had one) with a fork, not the chopsticks...no time for that! Wil was teething something fierce, as he always seems to be, and I was continually whipping out an arsenal of snacks to keep him busy.
Isaiah and Lily were eating surprisingly well. I forgot their sippy cups and was nervous they would knock orange juice all over her table but they did a great job. It made me so happy to see them chowing down different foods. That's one thing we always try to do with them is make the variety of the foods we eat, different and unusual from time to time. We want to keep their little palates open to new flavors and textures.
