Fresh Vietnamese StyleSpring Rolls and Football

We woke up to very chilly rain this Sunday morning- but one look out the window at the mountains made me smile! LOTS of snow in Tahoe! It's countdown time for ski season...anyhow, I decided to make my favorite snack for lunch today while watching football...Vietnamese - style Fresh Spring Rolls.

These are vegetarian, although I love making them with cooked shrimp in them, too! 

First, I made the dip. I mix together 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of sambal olek (chili garlic paste). It's my own invention and is it ever tasty! 

Next, I prepare all the ingredients...peeled and julienne carrots and cucumber, fresh basil, chopped radish, chopped green onion, and cooked rice vermicelli noodles. I made the noodles on Tuesday, but I didn't use them all. You can store them after they are cooked in the fridge in a little water. Just rinse them with warm water to make them pliable and drain well! 

Next, get a bowl of very warm water ready, and a dinner plate next to the bowl. Open the package of rice paper wrappers-NOT won-top wrappers! These look like opaque round pieces of thin plastic! I use the size that are 9" in diameter.

Place a rice paper wrapper in the bowl of warm water and quickly rotate it all the way through the water...about 5 seconds. Don't wait until it's totally pliable or it will tear and be impossible to roll! You just want to dip it in all the way and lay it quickly on the place. Don't worry, it will get a little more pliable while on the plate absorbing the water. 

Working quickly, add the vegetables, sort of like you are making a burrito...layer the basil, noodles, carrot, cucumber, onion and radish across the bottom third of the wrapper, but leave a little room (about 1/2") on each side. 

Bring the bottom of the wrapper up and over the filling, sucking it in tightly to make a little roll. Wrap tightly once away from you, and then, tuck both sides into the wrapper.

after tucking in the sides, continue to roll the wrapper away from you, keeping it nice and tight.

The wrapper will stick to itself!
You can cut it in half if you like! It's easier to pour a teaspoon of the sauce into half at a time...

Three of these make a delicious lunch for one person!
Hope you try these- they are so good! Of course, you can add any vegetables or even cooked meat or seafood or fish as a filler- just don't over stuff it. The rice paper wrappers will tear if you make them too full!

By the way, all of these ingredients can be found at your local grocery store...no specialty stores needed!