Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls

Ingredients for Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls

• 5 1/2 tablespoons sugar

• 180ml warm water

• 60ml plus 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce (preferably from Phu Quoc)

• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)

• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (optional)

• 2 vitlöksklyftor, hackade

• 2 fresh Thai chillies (2 to 3 inches

• preferably red

• including seeds), thinly sliced crosswise

• 210g very thin bean thread noodles (in small skeins, also known as cellophane or mung bean noodles*)

• 60g dried wood ear mushrooms

• 1 medium shallot

• 2 garlic cloves

• 250g grated carrots (4 to 5 carrots)

• 450g pork mince shoulder

• 60ml Asian fish sauce (preferably from Phu Quoc)

• 50g plus 1 teaspoon sugar

• 2 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 450g prawns in shell, peeled and deveined

• 25 (8-inch) square frozen spring roll pastry wrappers made with wheat flour, thawed

• 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

• About 6 cups vegetable oil

• Accompaniments: lettuce leaves and fresh mint and coriander leaves

• N/A fresh mint

• N/A coriander leaves

• a deep-fat thermometer

Stir together sugar and water until sugar is dissolved. Stir in remaining sauce ingredients, then chill, covered, at least 2 hours.

Put noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot water by several inches. Soak, pulling noodles apart and stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Drain noodles and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces (you should have about 725ml ), then transfer to another large bowl.

Put mushrooms in a bowl and cover with hot water by several inches. Soak 15 minutes. Drain and rinse mushrooms thoroughly, then drain again. Trim off and discard any hard parts from mushrooms. Finely chop mushrooms. (You should have about 300g .) Add to noodles.

Pulse shallot and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped, then add to noodles along with carrots, pork, fish sauce, sugar, pepper, and salt. Pulse prawns in processor until coarsely ground. (Do not overprocess or it will become pasty.) Add prawns to noodle mixture. Mix with your hands until well combined. Chill filling, covered with plastic wrap, until cold.

Line 2 trays with wax paper.

Transfer one fourth of filling to a small bowl and keep remainder chilled, covered. Place 1 wrapper on a work surface, keeping remaining wrappers covered with a clean kitchen towel (to prevent them from drying out). Cut wrapper diagonally in half to form 2 triangles. With long side of 1 triangle nearest you, put 2 tablespoons filling along middle of long edge of triangle, and shape filling into a thin 5-inch log. Fold left and right corners of wrapper over filling, overlapping slightly and aligning bottom edges. (Wrapper will resemble an open envelope.) Dab top corner with yolk, then roll up wrapper away from you into a long thin roll, making sure ends stay tucked inside. Place on a tray, seam side down. Repeat with remaining triangle. Make more rolls in same manner with remaining wrappers and filling, keeping trays of rolls chilled, loosely covered, until ready to fry.

Heat 1 1/2 inches of oil in a 5- to 6-quart pot over moderately high heat until it registers 185°C on thermometer. Fry rolls in batches of 5 or 6, keeping rolls apart during first minute of frying to prevent sticking, until golden brown and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. (Return oil to 185°C between batches.) Transfer as fried to a colander lined with paper towels and drain rolls upright 2 to 3 minutes. To eat, wrap hot or warm rolls in lettuce leaves and tuck in mint and coriander leaves. Serve with dipping sauce.

*Available at Asian markets and Uwajimaya (800-889-1928).

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