Cook’s notes
Unabashedly Vietnamese-inspired, from the seasoning to the rice paper wrapper, these spring rolls will make meat lovers sigh with pleasure. I know my husband did. And he’s a carnivore to the core of his being.
Served whole, these lovely spring rolls can be enjoyed as a main course. Believe me, they are filling! Devour two to four pieces and you won’t be asking what else there is to eat. And your taste buds won’t be left yearning for more either. There is so much flavor and texture in each bite because the filling is a blend of salty, spicy, sweet and tangy.
The meat is well seasoned so a dipping sauce is not really necessary. If, however, you have to have dipping sauce as a matter of habit, you might want to double the amount of marinade and reserve half for dipping.
Pork patty spring rolls
Ingredients
- 250 grams ground pork (8.8 oz) with at least 20% fat
- juice of ½ lime or lemon
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon finely minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon finely minced ginger
- ½ bird’s eye chili finely chopped (or substitute chili flakes)
- 6 sheets rice paper (available in Asian groceries)
- salad greens (I used a mix of lettuce and arugula)
- cucumber cut into thin sticks
- fresh mint leaves
- fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Make the marinade. Mix together the lemon or lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic and chilies.
- Place the ground pork in a bowl. Pour in the marinade. Mix well.
- Divide the mixture into six portions; form each portion into a log about an inch and a half in diameter then flatten with your hand to a thickness of less than a half inch.
- Fry, broil, air fry or grill your patties.
- Cool the patties for a few minutes.
- Prepare a wide shallow bowl for dipping the rice paper.
- Moisten a piece of rice paper and lay flat on the work surface.
- Place some greens near the center. Place a pork patty on top of the greens. Top the patty with cucumber sticks, mint and cilantro.
- Fold in the sides then roll to seal the fillings.
- Repeat until all the patties are snugly inside the sheets of rice paper.
- With a very sharp knife, cut each spring roll horizontally into two to three pieces.
- Arrange the rolls, cut side up, on a plate or bowl and serve.
Fettuccine aglio e olio with sun-dried tomatoes