Vietnamese or Asian Summer Rolls

I was thinking abpout my Vietnamese neighbor, Buddha and Vietnamese Summer Rolls while coming out of a headstand. (All that blood rushing to your brain, can make you quite creative!)

I was going to take a photo of the Summer Rolls but, they were so good and we ate them so quickly,
that we totally forgot to photograph them.

This recipe is from my Vietnamese neighbor, (who knows I’m a vegetarian). I have made some minimal changes for convenience sake. I am not going to put down rigid amounts and likewise, just add what you like.  I live by Auntie Mame’s  adage; ”Life is a banquette and most poor suckers are starving to death.!”
These Vietnamese Summer Rolls are excellent for picnics, because they won’t spoil and poison your friends or realitives!

Ingredients:
      (8 1/2-inch) round rice paper wrappers
In your food processor shread:

• 1 small to medium Jicama - Remove the peel including the fibrous flesh directly under the skin. *1
•  A few fresh mint leaves (Optional)
• lots of sprigs of fresh cilantro
• 3 or 4 carrots, peeled and shredded
• 1 Chayote squash, peeled and shredded
•  Mung bean noodles or cellophane noodles (Traditional, but I don’t like the extra cabs, so I don’t use them) ( If you want more protein and you eat soy, you can add chopped Soy noodles.)
• Peanuts or chopped Almonds
• 1 stick of lemon grass, grated ( I substitute a tablespoon of  Tom Yom Sauce or Tom Yom Soup--) (You can buy Tom Yom Sauce  at any Asian Market)

Dipping sauces:

• 1 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup Hoisin sauce
• ¼  cup of finely chopped peanuts
• If you like it sweet add  a little Stevia or Honey

 
Or just buy:  Thai Spring Roll Sauce
Directions
Submerge 1 rice-paper wrapper in a 10 inch fry pan or skillet with enough hot water to cover the rice paper rounds and  soak it until softened, about 20 seconds. Carefully remove the rice paper from the water and lay it flat on a plate.  In the center of the sheet, layer and then mixture and cilantro.. Pull the bottom up over the filling, fold over the sides, and roll up like an egg roll. Place seam-side-down on a plate and repeat the process with the remaining rice papers and filling. Serve with dipping sauce. (Save any unused mixture for a day or so, and always use fresh rice paper wrappers.)
FOOTNOTE

• The fish sauce, rice vermicelli, chili garlic sauce, Hoisin sauce and rice wrappers can be found at Asian food markets.

• Jicama is mostly water. It is a good source of dietary fiber, potassium, and vitamin C. It also contains Inulin, which is partly responsible for its sweet taste. In addition, Inulin increases the absorption of calcium, and possibly of magnesium.
• Combined with the fiber and water found in jicama, these nutrients help both hydration and blood pressure. Although it is a sweet-tasting source of fiber, it does not appear to raise blood sugar or triglyceride levels.
• Jicama is an edible root, tan in color, and shaped somewhat like a turnip. Although it can grow quite large, the crisp, sweet taste is best in Jicama about the size of a grapefruit. It should be firm and dry. Rootlets should be dry, and the tuber should have no soft or dark spots.
• Jicama will keep in the refrigerator for about two weeks. Jicama can be eaten raw and is an interesting addition to salads, salsas, and stir-fries.

• Jicama can be cut or sliced and served raw or used as a substitute for water chestnuts.   Sauté or stir fry -- it stays crisp when cooked. A one pound  Jicama yields about three cups chopped or three cups shredded flesh. (Nutrition Information - A 3-1/2 ounce serving of jicama provides 39 calories and about 25% of the RDA for vitamin C.)

           From : http://hortweb.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/vegetables/jicama.html
http://www.webworldarticles.com/e/a/title/Jicama-and-kale-are-sources-of-vitamins-we-need-every-day/

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