# 12 Rice Paper Wraps

Shownotes for #12 Rice Paper Wraps!

The music for the opening and ending of the show is Fast Food Rampage by the The Touch Ups, courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network.

Stuff you need to know for this show's recipe:

All main recipe here are an hour or less. Total preparation time for is less than 30 minutes. The second recipe is about 90 minutes.

Talk Back! We are a Snacking Community. Go to the End of these Shownotes and click on comments. Leave your thoughts and experiences. Or email me at [e-mail].

The podsafe music used in the show:

Today I am featuring "Come back to You” by one of the great contemporary singer songwriters, Samantha Murphy. If you haven’t heard her interviews on her podcast SMtv, you are missing out on great information about the music scene in North American cities. She travels around from club to club meeting other artists and talking to them about the creative process, who they are listening to and the music business. She’s fun, witty and smart. And a great singer songwriter. And I’m grateful to her for permission to play this wonderful song for you.

Here is the lead recipe I describe in the show:

Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls (adapted from Noodle Fusion by Dorothy Rankin)

12 medium shrimp, cooked and shelled and cut in half the long way

4 oz dried rice vermicel.li

8 round rice papers

1 small head of soft leaf lettuse

2 c. bean sprouts, washed in cold water and drained

1/2 c basil, cilantro or mint leaves

Wash and lay out all the ingredients. Dip the rice paper into the warm water until soft, Lay a piece of lettuse on the bottom 1/3rd of the rice paperput a tbs or 2 of the rice noodles on the lettuce. Press these a bit. Add a thin layer of bean sprouts and roll up to the half way point. Place the shrimp on the roll and continue rolling until the rice paper seals itself. Cut in thirds to eat immediately, or cover with a damp towel to eat later. Do not refrigerate.

Peanut Dipping sauce

Smash a garlic and chop it finely. Sauté this in 1 tbs of oil until it is lightly browned. Add this to ¼ c of peanut butter, 1 tbs tomato paste, 1 tsp Sriracha or chili paste, 1 tbs Nouc Mam (Vietnamese fish sauce), I tsp sugar and ½ c of very warm water. Mix everything together and bring to a boil, simmering for 2 minutes until it thicken. Don’t let it boil constantly or the oil will separate. This is bit of work, but well worth it. Warm or cold, this is great sauce.

Here are some additional recipes from the show :

Grilled Lemon Grass Beef (adapted from Flatbreads and Flavors by Alford and Duguid)

2 stalks of lemon grass or 2 tbs dried lemongrass soaked for 20 mins. in 1 to 2 tbs water

2 to 3 clove garlic finely chopped

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 chili finely chopped

2 tbs fish sauce

1 tbs lime juice

1 tbs water

1 tbs roasted sesame oil

1 pound rump roast or eye of round

Mix the marinade from thevfirst eight ingredients. Cutr the meat in very thin slices agains the grain. It helps if the meat if very cold. THen slice it in 1 1/2 inch lengths. Put in a bowl and mix in the marinade. Cover and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature or 8 hours in the refrigerator. Soak some wooden skewers in water for a hour. Prepare a grill. Wipe the meat and thread the pieces onto the skewers. Grill or broil about 1 minute on each side.

Rice paper

1 cucumber, cut into strips

2 c. shredded lettuce

1/4 c cilantro leaves

Soften the rice paper in warm water. Put some lettuce and cucumber strips on the bottom third. Add the meet from a skewer. roll half way. Arrange some cilantro leaves. Continue rolling until rice paper seals. Cut in thirds with a very sharp knife, or eat whole dipping in the Nuoc Cham that follows.

Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Dipping Sauce)

3 cloves of garlic

1 small chile

6 tbs Fish Sauce (nuoc mam)

3 to 4 tbs fresh lemon or lime juice

5 to 6 tbs cold water

2 tbs sugar

1 small carrot, shredded

Chop the garlic and chile until they are a fine paste. Add the fish sauce, citrus juice, and water and stir. Stir in the sugar. Add the carrot.

Here is the shopping list for next week:

Next week I'm going to tell you about how to make quick bites with a can of chick peas. You'll need a can, of course. You'll also need some sesame paste. You can find this is the middle east food section of most metropolitan supermarkets, middle east markets or the if you're really far away from centers of cultural diversity, the internet. While you're at it, look for a bag of powdered sumac. This crushed dried berry tastes like lemon and will be used in a salad. You'll need some olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh parsley and one or two fresh lemons. Try and find some smoked Spanish sweet paprika. You want find it in most supermarkets, but if there is a specialty food shop or even a tapas restaurant in your town, you may be able to get an oz or 2 there. It will be worth it. Otherwise, regular Hungarian sweet paprika, or even chili powder will do. You need some flat breads and ordinary vegetable oil for frying. Finally, try to find some fresh spearmint leaves. These are sometimes available in small plastic cases in the vegetable section.

Here is a list equipment you will need for next week:

food processor or potato masher, large bowl, wok or pan for frying.