Easy Peasy Rice Paper Rolls

If one is looking for gadgets to make Asian foods, Chinese supermarkets in Toronto are definitely one of those amazing places to go to for anything Asian; sometimes even better than in Asia itself! I was in the section where everything Vietnamese was stocked, when I found these colander like plastic plates which come in a pack of 12. They are made specially for rolling rice paper rolls and I was curious to see if they will really work. Since they are of reasonable price, I thought I will just buy and give them a try. My past experience with rice paper was truly frustrating. Once they are soaked in water, they tend to stick together easily regardless what surface one is working on! In the end, I made these rice paper rolls once and never make them again until recently with the help of these plates. My verdict - these plastic plates are a good buy if you are one who love making your own rice paper rolls at home! To make the process more effortless, I used cooked cold cuts instead of boiling a raw chunk of pork belly and slicing it on my own. In this recipe, I used packaged cold cut turkey and they are really lean and tasty! You may vary all the ingredients to suit your taste.

Utensils Needed:-

Colander like plastic plates (12 units) (if you can get them)
Or any suitable clean working surface (kitchen counter or plastic cutting boards)
A deep heat proof round plate (large enough) to drag the rice papers
Small stainless steel pot
Serving plates and bowls to hold your various ingredients

Ingredients for the rolls:-

18 cooked and chilled large shrimps without shells and tails (you may buy and thaw frozen cooked shrimps)
Cooked cold cuts (I used cold cut turkey) you may use chicken or ham or roast beef (your choice)
(Cut out 24 pieces into a rectangular size of approximately 1" x 2")
36 pieces of mint leaves
36 pieces of cilantro/parsley (only the tender leafy parts, discard the hard stems)
12 stalks of fresh garlic chives (cut into 3" length) (use only the green part)
12 pieces of head lettuce (or any lettuce of your choice) (you want only the leafy part)
1 whole carrot shreded
3 cups of cooked rice vermicelli (cooked, drained & cooled)
24 pieces of English cucumber (in strips of approximately 1/4" x 2")
12 sheets of rice paper
3 cups water
Extra water for boiling rice vermicelli

Method:-

Rinse the shrimps and set aside.

Fill the pot with about 1-1/2 cups of water and bring to boil.

Place shrimps in boiling water and cook over high heat until shrimps just turn pink.
Remove from heat and drain shrimps. Run cold tap water over shrimps.
Drain, shell and devein shrimps. Slice each shrimp into half by running your knife horizontally along the back of the shrimp. Arrange shrimps in a plate and set aside for use.

Using the same pot, fill it half full with water and bring to a boil. Place the dried rice vermicelli into the boiling water, let it soften and becomes opaque. Remove from heat and drain. Set aside in a plate to cool.

Rinse all the vegetables and herbs (lettuce, cilantro/parsley, mint and garlic chives) separately, drain and spin dry. Tear out the leafy parts of the lettuce and discard the hard center stalk.

Cut or tear the different herbs into sizes and set aside for use.

Scrape off carrot skin, wash, dry and julienne or cut into strips like matchsticks. Set aside.

Rinse cucumber and cut into strips of 1/4" x 2". Keep skin on.

Cut cold cut meats into size and set aside for use.

To make the hot water bath for the rice paper, pour 1-1/2 cups of filtered drinking water into the deep heat proof round plate. Place in microwave oven on high for 1 minute or until water is just slightly steaming but not boiling. Remove from microwave and set plate of hot water bath onto a flat steady work surface.

Drag each piece of rice paper briefly in the plate of hot water bath and place individually onto plastic plates. You don't need to shake off the excess water since the plastic plates will drain away any excess water as you work on the rolls. Repeat for all 12 sheets and stack the plates with the rice paper one on top of the other.

Then you may start rolling the rice paper rolls starting with the sheet on the first plate.

Begin by lining the rice paper with 2 pieces of lettuce about 1/3 from the edge of the rice paper closest to you, then start stacking two pieces of cucumber strips horizontally on top of the lettuce, about 2 tablespoons of julienne carrots on top of the cucumbers, about 3 tablespoons of rice vermicelli on top of the carrots, arrange 3 pieces of mint leaves one after another and 3 pieces of cilantro/parsley one after another horizontally on top of the vermicelli.

Then place 2 pieces of cold cut by arranging them horizontally beyond and above the vermicelli and 3 pieces of halved shrimp by arranging them horizontally one after another beyond and above the cold cut.

Fold the rice paper by lifting the bottom end over the vermicelli, then fold both ends on your left and right towards the center like an open ended envelope; then lift the roll slightly from the bottom using both thumbs and roll all the way to the top of the sheet making sure that the ingredients are not falling out on either the left and right ends.

Just before you reach the top of the sheet, place a piece of the garlic chive horizontally on the sheet leaving about 1 inch of the chive to stick out from one end.

Then complete the roll by rolling over the chive all the way to the end of the sheet. The rice sheet will seal itself. Just pat on it lightly to ensure that the seal is tight. Remove from plastic plate.

Place roll on a serving plate and cover with plastic food wrap to prevent drying out as you continue to finish all the 12 sheets. Repeat the process until you are done with the sheet on every plastic plate.

Ingredients for the dipping sauce:-

2 tablespoons Chinese barbeque sauce
2 pips garlic (finely minced)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon pure peanut butter
3 teaspoons filtered water.

Method for dipping sauce:-

Place all ingredients in a small gravy pot and cook over low heat, stirring until it boils. Remove and pour into a serving bowl to use as dipping sauce for the rice paper rolls.

Enjoy!

Note: I find it a little tedious preparing the ingredients, but the rolling part is super easy and swift with the use of these special plastic plates. I will want to make these rolls again. After all, nothing is better than being able to vary the ingredients in the rolls when you are able to make them yourself!
   










 

Chinese Yam (Shan Yao) Stir-Fry

Chinese yam (also known as Shan Yao or Wai Shan or Discorea Polystachya (botanical name)) is normally sold dried and used for soups. In recent years, this root vegetable is available fresh throughout the year in most Asian supermarkets in Canada and very popular among the Asian communities especially Chinese and Koreans. I am not sure about its efficacy, but it is certainly quite palatable when stir-fried with other vegetable and lean meat. There is a lot of cutting (which is required in most stir-fry recipes). This dish was made to celebrate Chinese New Year with my friends at church two weeks ago.

Utensils Needed:-

Your favourite chef knife
Vegetable peeler
Cutting boards (one for meat and one for vegetables)
Frying ladle
Straining ladle
Deep non-stick frying pan and lid

Ingredients:-

For the stir-fry
1 cup thinly sliced pork tenderloin
1/2 cup Chinese yam (Shan Yao or Discorea Polystachya)
1 cup onion
1-1/2 cup king mushrooms
1 cup carrot
1 cup snap peas or whole green peas
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
2 cups cold water (for blanching snap peas)
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the gravy
2 teaspoons cooking wine (you may use any Sherry that is not too sweet)
1-1/2 teaspoons corn starch
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup cold water

Method:-

1. Clean and washed all the root vegetables and peas. Remove skins of carrots, yam and ginger by using a vegetable peeler; remove onion skins and remove the two tough ends of the snap peas.

2. First cut carrots and yam into 2" chunks and then slice each chunk into approximately 3 mm thick slices.

3. Slice ginger thinly; stack the slices and cut them into tiny triangular pieces.

4. Clean, cut and slice the king mushrooms into approximately 3 mm thick slices.

5. Cut onions into half and then each half into thirds.

6. Place all the cut and sliced vegetables on a big plate.

7. Boil 2 cups cold water in the frying pan and blanch snap peas. Once the peas turn a bright and deep green, scoop peas immediately from the water using straining ladle and dunk the peas in a bowl of cold water for 1 - 2 minutes to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside the peas. Throw out both the boiling and soaking water.

8. Cut and slice pork tenderloin.

9. Place all the ingredients for the gravy in a bowl and stir to combine evenly. Set aside until ready to use.

10. Heat frying pan on medium high heat. First fry pork tenderloin until the pork is cooked. Then add all the root vegetables and mushrooms. Stir-fry the mixtures until they are evenly mixed. Cover the frying pan immediately with a lid for 5 minutes to let the yam cook or until the yam turns transparent. Once the yam turns transparent, remove the lid and add the blanched green peas. Make a well in the center and add the gravy mixture. Stir the gravy mixture constantly to prevent lumps. When the gravy mixture boils and turns transparent, stir everything to mix and drizzle olive oil on top. Scoop out with the ladle and serve.
Please enjoy with your friends and family! Share every good food! :)))  

So Easy - Hearty Butternut Squash Soup

Sometime ago, my Uncle Fred, came with several butternut squash that he harvested from his big garden in Niagara. I never thought I could like anything made of butternut squash until I tasted the best butternut squash soup made by my friend, Mandy, at one of our church's 'lunch and bunch' events. Honestly, it was the best I have ever tasted and she shared with me her way of making it. She uses smoked bacon to give it the smoky flavor which is really ideal for this cold season. But in this version, I omit bacon because one of my boys do not like bacon fat. This can be a totally vegetarian soup if you use vegetable broth instead of chicken or beef broth.

Hearty Butternut Squash Soup

Utensils need:-

Chef knife

Vegetable Peeler

Cutting Board

Large stock pot

Electric Hand blender

Ingredients:-

3 cups butternut squash (peeled and cut into small cubes)

1 stalk leek (including green parts)

1 cup carrots (peeled and sliced into smaller pieces)

1 cup onions (peeled and sliced)

1 cup celery (cut into smaller pieces)

4 pips garlic (skins off)

5 black peppercorns

Dash of nutmeg (optional)

3 cups clear chicken or beef or vegetable broth

Salt to taste

Method:-

Wash thoroughly, peel and cut all vegetables and place them all at once into a large stock pot. Add the broth, peppercorn and bring to a boil over high heat. Once soup boils, turn heat down to low, cover pot and let it simmer for 20 - 25 minutes until all vegetables are tender. Turn off heat. Immerse an electric hand blender into the pot and blend all vegetables until it is in a puree form. Season with salt and a dash of nutmeg. Serve either hot or cold. You will love the creamy and nutty flavor of the butternut squash. It is yummy without adding any cream! 

Note: Enjoy and hope you won't turn 'orange' by eating too much of this!