Thursday, August 6, 2009

Spring Rolls! (And Pork Chop Recipe)

Back when Barbara and Theresa visited in June (can't believe it's been that long!), they brought out a couple of special ingredients and the recipe for some unbelievably fresh, tasty and healthy Spring Rolls. I grabbed my camera to immortalize the moment and part-way through realized that this would made a great blog post...unfortunately for you, my sweet readers, I am not a proficient food photographer and hadn't discovered the macro setting on my camera, so these are not the greatest shots - and in fact some are a little blurry. Sorry 'bout that. But these Spring Rolls came out so good, you need to see how to make them - and then in fact make some, because believe me, you will be happy that you did!

First, get some of these...they came from California, but we did find them in my local grocery store. The round things are Spring Roll wrappers - ingredients: rice flour, salt and water. The other is bean threads - those clear noodle-type thingies.Next, assemble your ingredients. Fresh mint, romaine lettuce, mango, grated carrot, cucumber and avocado. Plus the wrappers, which are soaking in a dish of hot water and the bean threads that were soaked in hot water and then strained.Close up of said ingredients - slice everything length-wise.
Start with the wrapper (hard to see because it's on a paper towel), then a couple of sprigs of fresh mint (I know, I was like "mint, really?" and Barbara was all "you'll see") and then a small piece of romaine lettuce.Next, add the shredded carrots.Then comes the cucumber.Followed by the mango.Add a few thin slices of avocado...And then the bean threads.
Wrap like a burrito...
And there you have it!
A beautiful, fresh Spring Roll!
Sliced so you can see the gorgeous insides (again, sorry for the blurry picture).

I have never had a Spring Roll that wasn't deep fried, and let me tell you, these were so good! The mint brought a burst of unexpected flavor, and combined with the mango and avocado, it was just delightful! We drizzled a tiny bit of thickened balsamic vinegar (left-over from a restaurant salad) onto the cut sides - yum, yum, yum! They went together pretty quickly, and I have to say it was fun watching mother and daughter collaborate on the assembly. We ate several, and then wrapped the remaining Spring Rolls in plastic wrap - and they were still tasty a couple of days later! I haven't made these since Barbara and Theresa left, but I'm thinking that I need to remedy that...like this weekend! Drool...


And just to show you how easy these are to assemble, here is seven-year-old Theresa making one of many...
Of course, all the ingredients were sliced up for her...no sharp knives around those cute little hands!She even did the rolling part perfectly!

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Several of you have asked for the pork chop recipe from this post. Well, it couldn't be simpler. First, put your husband in charge of the grill. Then sit back, relax, and wait for food to appear! OK, it's a little more complicated than that, but this is what he used on the pork chops:
Apply liberally, cook however long it takes to get the pork done (see, I really had nothing to do with this) and BAM! You've got some mighty tasty pork chops!

17 comments:

  1. Those look good! So you don't have to cook the wrapper?

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  2. No, the wrapper isn't cooked beyond the initial soaking in hot water to soften it!

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  3. How beautiful they look, and what a special memory to cook together!

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  4. WONDERFUL ideas!!!! If you need me to mail you more of anything, let me know. I live in southern California; a hot bed of Asian eating. :D

    thank you!

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  5. Shelley - I loved this post! And the pictures aren't that bad! :D

    I love the idea of mixing the mint and mango - never would have thought of that.

    I'll have to look for those wrappers - my store usually has the regular wonton and eggroll wrappers that you fry.

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  6. I love spring rolls! Thanks for the recipe! I will have to try them. Love them dipped in a little peanut sauce!

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  7. Oh, I am going to have to try both of those recipes--today! Thanks for sharing! I thought the pictures turned out great!

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  8. I am pretty sure I could eat about 1000 of those. If I can find those wrappers, I AM making those.

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  9. I love spring rolls and these look delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  10. Wow, thanks ladies, they sound and look delicious! I really appreciate you taking the time to share all this with us, Shelley.

    What a treat. I can't wait to make them.
    ChrissyS

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  11. Hi Shelley! Spring rolls are my favorite things!

    I love how fresh they taste!

    I also use that exact same Canadian steak seasoning, I love it sprinkled on baked potatoes too!

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  12. DANG THOSE LOOK GREAT!!

    and I actually think my 3.5 year old could REALLY help on this one.

    now to get the 40 year old to the grocery for the necessities.

    that's the real trick :)

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  13. oohh...I've been wanting to make spring rolls but was so intimidated. Maybe in the next couple weeks! I saved this page in my favorites of recipes to try.

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  14. I know you won't believe this, but I've never had a spring roll in my life. These look fantastic! I'll look for the wrappers and see what I can do! Thanks!

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  15. A healthy spring roll? You are god's gift to mankind right now! I love love love spring rolls!!!!!

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  16. A healthy spring roll? You are god's gift to mankind right now! I love love love spring rolls!!!!!

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  17. They look yummy and I like how you called some of the ingredients "thingies." Thingrolls.

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