If we aren’t at our usual favorite sushi hangout, Sushi Na-Ra you can maybe find us at our second favorite haunt on the other side of the building, Saigon Spring. It specializes in Vietnamese cuisine. We’ve yet to find any other Vietnamese places in the capitol area of NY. Our staple appetizer picks are the spring rolls full of mint, vermicelli, lettuce carrot and tofu or shrimp.
Get this, the Vietnamese use rice wrappers instead of corn or flour. It’s easier for them to grow rice than wheat, so they play it up to the local geography. The wraps start out dehydrated with a papery plastic feel, but once you soak them for half a minute, they soften into pliable slightly rice flavored blank canvases for the artist to make into basically anything they want it to be.
We soaked ours in my mother’s pie dish and laid them to dry one by one on a separate plate. The fact that it was a white plate made it harder for us to pull off. I couldn’t tell where the wrap began and the plate ended! Let’s face it, we all have that one set of plates that if anything happened to just 1 of them, it would mean a trip to the racks. I was so afraid of “what if it slips?” because of our narrow space on the kitchen island. Next time, we’ll grab one of the chipped colored ones.
Once we put our wrinkly wrapper on the drying plate, we got to have some fun with different combinations of lettuce leaves, carrot shreds, sauteed mushroom slices, fresh firm tofu slices, and cherry tomato halves.
Our top one was the caprese roll with tofu, lettuce and cherry tomato. I call it “caprese” because the tofu mimics the taste of mozzarella, but without all of that hidden salt. The cherry tomatoes bring a sense of acidity and kicks out the blandness. It was simple, scrumptious and fresh which is exactly what you want in a spring roll before you dip it in soy sauce. Herbs are your best friend in this case because they turn things like lettuce, rice and tofu (which taste like nothing) and makes them more appealing to the tongue. We have taste buds for a reason. Food isn’t just fuel. It’s delicious! We want things that are pleasing to the senses. Tasty Tip: Keep a loaded spice rack and don’t be stingy! Most things you can grow or buy more later.
This is the first one we tried with leftover cream of broccoli soup as an attempt to bind it all together. It was all mushy, cold and didn’t offer anything positive to the dish. It’s too messy and leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Nope, cream of anything should not be rolled up into a thin slip of rice wrapper. Just reheat it and have it as your main dish.
These are an easy alternative to eating a salad that strengthened our creativity. Trying to switch out some of my less healthy habits isn’t always easy. Some people don’t like the idea of dieting because they don’t want to eat “rabbit food” or feel like it’s a punishment to be good to your body. Doing things like make-your-own wraps and rolls, and concocting sauces to pair with them is a more enjoyable way to experiment with different flavor combinations and see for yourself what you may have been missing out on trying.
Yes, a true chef must try everything at least once. But let’s face it: It’s not just girls. EVERYBODY wants to have fun! AMEN!
Here’s your challenge: Try to make some spring rolls yourselves. Comment to us what combinations you like best. We’ll post them on our Facebook page, especially if there’s a picture. Go Wild! Make Mistakes! GET COOKING!