Spring Roll Magic!

Continuing in the girls cooking night tradition, last week's meal was spring rolls, with professor Trinh teaching the lesson on how to make these wrapped goodies. First, it should be known that this was to be the last, most likely girls night with KC because she got a job in Jackson. My happiness for her new change in employment, city and proximity to her beaux was cut short by my sadness that she would be leaving us, and this young tradition of girls dinners that had become such a delight in my week. All hopes are that the tradition will carry on, and KC will continue to be missed until she decides that she should grace us with her presence for dinner once again.

According to Trinh, the making of spring rolls is a rites of passage in the lives of Vietnamese children, very similar to learning to use chopsticks. It definitely seems to bring a happy look to her face when she was telling us about it, similar to the look that comes across my face when I think of icing christmas cookies as an icing covered munchkin.

In Trinh's words, making spring rolls is not a difficult task, it just takes a lot of washing, boiling, and cutting to get everything ready. We had a spread of fillings to go in our thin rice wrappers: rice sticks(noodles) lettuce, mint, cucumbers, shrimp, and pork loin. Trinh also made a hoisin dipping sauce and topped it with chopped peanuts.





The spring rolls were delicious. They were so refreshing, and surprisingly filling. I enjoyed making these so much, that when I visited my mom for Easter last weekend, I brought with me the things to make it, and passed on what I had learned.