Naam Deep (White Summer Rolls)

Vietnamese Summer Rolls

The trick to this one is getting the rolls assembled without having them split down the middle. Everything else is cake. It is an excellent summer dish, especially if you have an herb garden. It can be eaten with soy sauce, but if you are going to go through the trouble of making the rolls, you should also make the Dipping Sauce for Naam .

Ingredients

• 16 pieces 6 inch round rice paper (looks like a translucent plastic tortilla)
• 8 large leaves of lettuce, torn or shredded. Make sure to remove any remnants of the core
• 2 Cups of Rice Vermicelli (mei fun), soaked in warm water for 1/2 hour, then drained
• 1 Cup Peeled and Shredded Carrot
• 1/2 Cup Thinly Sliced Mint Leaves
• 1/2 Cup Thinly Sliced Thai Basil Leaves
• 1/2 Cup Cilantro, chopped
• One or more of the following (if you mix and match, reduce the amount accordingly):
  • 32 Thin Slices of Grilled Pork
  • 16 Poached or Grilled Shrimp, sliced lengthwise
  • Ground or Shredded Grilled Chicken (I like mine food-processed with a little salt and lime)
• 8 Eggs, Beaten

Directions

1. Fry the eggs into one or more thin omelets and slice into 1/4 inch strips
2. Heat water in a large pan (large enough to sit your rice paper flat in) until just hot enough to be uncomforatble to leave your hands in
3. Dip a single sheet of the rice paper into the water for 2-5 seconds and lay out on a damp glass or ceramic plate
4. Working on the bottom 1/3 of the rice paper, spread a 1/16 th portion of all the ingredients onto the paper and wrap like a burrito.**
5. Place the completed roll on a slightly damp paper towel
6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 until done!

• • Kristen's expert technique- Spread the ingredients horizontally, roll the paper away from you, after completing the first turn, then fold the sides in and complete the forward rolls.

Pitfalls/Tips

• If there are any large irregular shapes wrapped up in the rice paper, it will spilt open
• If you don't eat these fast enough (within a few hours), the wrapping will dry out and spilt open.
• It may seem intuitive to dip these into the sauce, however, it is much tastier to bite a hole in the top and spoon your sauce in to the hole.
• Get creative with the fillings. All manner of fresh herbs go well in this. And most proteins will go well as well, as long as they are cut into small pieces.