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08/20/2003 Archived Entry: "Goi Cuon: Summer Rolls"

I had Corrine Trang on Food Talk yesterday. Her Pan-Asian cookbook, Essentials of Asian Cuisine: Fundamentals and Favorite Recipes, is a byproduct of her multicultural background. She was born in France’s Loire Valley of a French mother and a Chinese father who grew up in Cambodia. She was then raised in Phnom Penh, Paris, and finally New York. Her history also reflects the simultaneous diversity and similarities in the food being eaten all over Asia.

Corrine asks us to think of China as the Rome of Asia to better understand Asian cooking. China is the mother-cuisine of Asia and it’s diverse group of offspring are tied together by the commonality of their cooking.

Look at any Asian restaurant menu and you’ll find the same basic rice and noodles adapted to that culture’s needs. The recipes they are used in might change depending on local ingredients and who had dropped anchor in the past. The Chinese ruled Vietnam for 1,000 years, then the French for 100 years. The Spanish occupied the Philippines for 400 years, then the Japanese took over. During these tumultuous times people sharing ingredients through trade also inadvertently shared life experiences. Cultures rubbing together as Corrine Trang puts it.

The concept of Asian cooking is a constantly evolving entity that’s fascinating to watch. Kim Chee has it’s origins in China going back to over a 1,000 years ago as a way of preserving vegetables during long, cold winters. It’s now commonly thought of as a Korean dish. Congee, a type of rice gruel, is a method of stretching out a small amount of rice to feed a large number of mouths. The Japanese have adapted it for their own needs using green tea. The Chinese were harvesting seaweed for medicinal purposes long before your neighborhood sushi bar was dousing it with sesame oil and serving it as a salad.

Summer Rolls are a Vietnamese creation that ties in ingredients common to many countries in Asia. They’re delicious anytime of year but because they are not fried, unlike Shanghai spring rolls, they are particularly nice during the dog days of summer. They can be made ahead of time and make great picnic fare. Serve them with either peanut sauce or Nuoc Cham, the classic Vietnamese dipping sauce, which these days (in the New York metro area, anyway) you can buy in any well-stocked supermarket or grocery.

Goi Cuon
Summer Rolls
Makes 12 rolls

4 ounces dried rice vermicelli
4 ounces pork tenderloin
18 small to medium shrimp, heads and shells removed
12 round rice papers (about 8 inches in diameter, Corrine
likes the Rose brand for it’s ideal thickness, you want
the papers to be so translucent you can see the filling)
1 head Boston lettuce, leaves separated and ribs removed
3 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
Half a cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and
thinly sliced crosswise
3 scallions, root and dark green ends trimmed, and
6-inch stalks cut into 1-inch-long pieces and julienned
24 large mint leaves
Vietnamese peanut sauce for dipping (recipe follows)
Nuoc Cham for dipping (recipe follows)

Place the dried rice vermicelli in a dish with water to cover. Let stand until pliable, about 30 minutes, and drain and squeeze them to get rid of the excess water.

Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat

Place the vermicelli in a sieve and lower it into the boiling water for 5 seconds. Lift up the sieve, shake of f the excess water, and transfer the vermicelli to a bowl. When it’s cool enough to handles, divide the vermicelli into 12 portions. In the same boiling water, cook the pork tenderloin until well done but still juicy, 10 to 15 minutes. When it’s cool enough to handle, thinly slice against the grain. You should have 24 to 36 thin slices. Add the shrimp to the same pot of boiling water until they turn opaque, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain. When they’re cool enough to handle, halve lengthwise and devein.

Pour lukewarm water about an inch deep into a flat round dish. Separate (be sure you go this step, or your papers will stick together) and soak three to four wrappers at time until pliable, about 5 minutes. Place a clean kitchen towel on your work surface, then place each rice paper on the towel. With another kitchen towel, gently blot each wrapper until it is no longer wet but remains sticky . Leaving an inch uncovered on the side closest to you and the adjacent sides, place a lettuce leaf and a portion of vermicelli on top, followed by 2 to 3 overlapped pork slices, 3 overlapped shrimp halves, some carrots, cucumber, scallions, and 2 mint leaves on each rice paper. Fold the wrapper once over the filling, then fold in the sides and continue rolling tightly to the end. Repeat this process with the remaining ingredients to make 12 rolls. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap as you work and until ready to eat. Serve with Vietnamese peanut sauce and/or Nuoc Cham. (recipes follow).

Variation: Vegetarians can replace the pork and shrimp with fresh mung bean sprouts. You can also substitute cooked skinless chicken breast for the pork.

Nuoc Cham Dau Phong
Vietnamese Peanut Sauce
Makes about 2 cups

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 large garlic loves, crushed, peeled, and minced
1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, finely ground (not peanut
butter) plus 1 tablespoon crushed peanuts
1 cup basic chicken stock
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk, or commercial equivalent
2 tablespoons tamarind extract or juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons palm sugar
2 Thai chilies, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1/4 cup minced cilantro leaves

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and stir-fry the garlic until slightly golden, about 3 minutes. Add the ground peanuts and continue to stir-fry until they darken and release some of their natural oil, about 3 minutes more. Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, tamarind extract (or lime), fish sauce, hoisin sauce, palm sugar, and chilies, and continue to boil until reduced and thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir in the cilantro, transfer to a dish (or individual ones) and sprinkle with crushed peanuts)

Nuoc Cham
Spicy, Sweet, and Sour Fish Sauce Dip
Makes about 2 cups

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 cup lime or lemon juice (about 3 limes or 2 lemons)
2 large garlic cloves, crushed, peeled, and sliced or minced
1/2 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, finely crushed (optional)
1 large carrot, peeled and julienned (optional)

Whisk together the sugar, fish sauce, 1/3 cup water (or more depending on how strong the fish sauce is), and the lime or lemon juice in a bowl until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the garlic and chili and let stand for 30 minutes to allow the favors to come together. Sprinkle with crushed peanuts (if using), or julienned carrot (if using), just before serving.

Note: If you have fish sauce on hand, make sure it’s fresh. It should be amber colored, not dark like soy sauce. The salt in it will eventually crystallize and it will taste more of salt than fish.