Vietnamese Spring Rolls w/Pork

One night, while socializing with the usual people–Joe, Lydia, Jeramey, Brittin, etc.–a new person came along, Jean Claude Jubert, and  naturally, the conversation turned to food. I’m not 100% sure how we got on the topic of my food blog, but knowing me, I probably brought it up, so the transition wasn’t hard….

Surprisingly, Jean Claude told me about a dish his grandparents used to make when he was younger called “Vietnamese Spring Rolls.”  These spring rolls are different from the ones we normally associate with fast food chinese restaurants–they’re not fried, or even cooked, but the shell is a clear, plasticy container that exists less for flavor and more for structure; the dish is varied in herbs such as mint, basil, and cilantro, and the contents are more than just veggies or meat, but also include vermicelli noodles.

Needless to say, Jean Claude’s family’s childhood dish is clearly delicious.  Please welcome guest cook Jean Claude Jubert for a few words on the dish:

“My grandparents who learned how to make the dish during the 30 years that they lived in Vietnam used to prepare it for me when I would visit them, knowing that it was my favorite dish. The last time I visited I was determined to learn how to make the dish myself. The authentic dish calls for charbroiled pork…however, lacking a grill, we were limited to a stove and skillet. The idea is to get the stove as hot as possible to mimic the charbroiled flavor from a grill. Ideally you want the pork to have a dark brown glaze (from the sugar in the marinade).”

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

The great thing about this dish is that it tastes absolutely incredible with the listed ingredients together.  However, if, for some reason, you run out of a certain herb like basil or mint, or you forget to put pork in or forget to put in the noodles, then the spring rolls are still very tasty–and healthy! Follow the ingredients list below for a combination of herbs and vegetables that work incredibly well together, but from my understanding, the meat can be switched out for shrimp and the noodles for rice.  For more ideas, see here.

Ingredients:

* 2 ounces rice vermicelli

* 1 package rice wrappers (about 8.5 inches in diameter)

* 1 pork loin, cut into thin circular cutlets

* fresh basil, to taste

* cilantro, chopped or whole, to taste

* fresh mint, to taste

* lettuce, to taste

* sprouts, to taste

* sugar, to taste (for marinating the pork loin)

* lemon grass paste, to taste

* peanuts

* ginger paste, to taste

* 1 cucumber, thinly sliced

* 1 shallow dish with water (for softening the rice paper)

* fish sauce, to taste

1.) Begin by preparing the pork: thinly slice a long tenderloin into circular cutlets.  Prepare vermicelli noodles according to package instructions.  Set aside.

2.) Place pork cuts in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar.  Add lemongrass paste:

3.) Add ginger paste:

4.) Toss to combine and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes (refrigerated) before cooking.

5.) This next step can be done one of two ways: either charbroil/grill the pork on a grill, or sear the pork in a hot pan and oil.  Both taste great, but Jean Claude prefers the original grilling option as it is what his grandparents used to do in preparing the dish.  If cooking on a stove top, heat up a large skillet with a couple of tablespoons of peanut oil to high-medium or low-high (you want the pan hot enough to cook and sear the meat quickly, but not burn it).  Cook the meat by “searing” each side until done.  Each side should only take a minute or two and get used to doing this quickly so that you don’t burn the meat, or overcook it.  You will be done in a matter of minutes.

6.) Set pork aside and gather your other ingredients; create an assembly-line with the ingredients.

7.) Begin by softening the rice paper/wrappers: dip into the shallow dish and flip over.  Remove from water.  Now, you’re ready to stuff the spring roll (I know this step may seem fast, but really, just a little bit of water is all the spring roll wrappers need).

8.) Stuff wrappers with ingredients: pork, vermicelli noodles, basil, mint, cilantro, cucumber, lettuce, and peanuts.

9.) Wrap spring roll by tightly rolling the skin over the stuffed ingredients and folding in the ends.  For a video example of how to do this, see here.  According to Vietnamese foodies, each piece of rice paper has a “smooth and a rough side.”  The smooth side should always be facing down and the rough side should always be the one inside the roll (attached to the filling).

10.) Serve with Spring Roll Fish Sauce and enjoy! Makes a lot…like 25 rolls I think.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls w/Pork, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating Google+