Ingredients
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2 ounces cellophane noodles
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3 chicken quarters, skinned and boned and ground
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1 medium onion, finely chopped
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3 green onions, chopped fined including the greens
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4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
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0.5 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, diced
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1 tablespoon fish sauce (Nuccman, this brand is so common it is sold in oriental section of any name grocery store)
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salt and pepper
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1 tablespoon cornstarch
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1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper
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1 (7 ounce) can crabmeat, cartilage removed and meat flaked
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1/8 cup water
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1/8 cup fish sauce
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1/2 small lemon, juice of
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1/2 teaspoon flaked red chili pepper
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1 teaspoon chopped garlic
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3 green onions, chopped fine
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20 sheets rice paper sheets (banh trang)
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2 eggs, well beaten
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2 cups peanut oil
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fish sauce (Nuccman)
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1 tablespoon dark soya sauce
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1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Mix filling ingredients together, I do this with my hands.
- The sauce is personal so you have to play with it until you get the taste you like.
- FILLING:
- Boil water in tea kettle or pot.
- Place noodles in bowl and poor boiled water to cover.
- Let sit while preparing other ingredients.
- When ready to use, drain and place back in bowl. Cut many times with scissors.
- Combine the filling ingredients in a bowl and squish it all together like you were preparing meatloaf; set aside.
- Use the small round rice papers I use a big dish towel and leave it pretty wet and stretch it out on the kitchen counter.
- I then place a bowl of warm sugar water big enough to accommodate a whole rice paper (the sugar in the water makes the Nhems crispier when frying). Use 1 tbsp to 1 cup of water make sure it is dissolved.
- Next to it, I place my bowl of chicken mixture, and next to that my bowl with 2 beaten eggs.
- I have a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and sprinkled with cornstarch or a plate prepared the same way depending on how many I make.
- I also keep a bowl of water in the sink so I can rinse the goo of my fingers (it's sticky). I can usually fit 6 rice papers on my dish towel.
- Dip each on in the bowl of sugar water for 30 seconds, flip it over wait 30 seconds.
- Place softened paper on wet dish towel.
- Continue with this process until you have as many rice papers as you can fit on your towel.
- With a pastry brush, or fingers paint the beaten egg over the top edges of each of the pieces.
- When the wrapper looks soft and transparent, place about 1 heaping tbsp of filling near the bottom, Fold bottom up just to cover filling.
- Fold the sides towards middle keeping mixture firmly tucked into place continue to roll.
- Place on cookie sheet or plate.
- At this point you can cover with Saran Wrap and cook later.
- Cooking:
- Put 2 inches of peanut oil in a large pan bring to a med high heat and fry Nhems until golden. This will take about 20 minutes.
- To serve the spring rolls, proceed as follows:
- Arrange the ingredients for the vegetable platter of large lettuce leaves and mint leaves. Using fingers Place Nhem in lettuce leaf cover with a couple mint leaves.
- Dip in sauce and try to eat just one!