Rolled up in Vietnam

Today's low (high) calorie, low (high) fat scrumminess has been tested by your host on a number of occasions, and comes recommended as a tasty starter to a larger meal, or an easy to eat snack when you're glued to the box because Hugh Jackman is on-screen.

The dish, cha gio -- pronounced tchah djaw -- is one of Vietnam's takes on the spring roll, which appears in the local cuisines of almost every continent in one form or another. Consisting principally of white meat (pork is traditional but not something I eat, chicken a good alternative and turkey even better) augmented with a touch of greenery and a splash of ocean, the ingredients of these spring rolls are ground down to a greater, oxymoronic whole. The seafood component may disturb the culinarily boring (yes, my cooking is opinionated), but is undetectable in the finished product whilst nudging the flavour in a good direction. Ditto for the sauce, which is perhaps the most interesting flavour component of all.

The Filling:

2.5 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp chopped dark mushrooms (tree ear mushrooms are ideal, appetisingly sold in Asian supermarkets as "dried black fungus" in vacuum packs of julienned mushroom - any fresh, meaty alternative like shiitake is fine if you're stuck for the real thing)
250 g ground turkey or chicken
2 tbsp finely chopped dried shrimp or 100 g fresh shrimp, chopped
4 chopped spring onions
3 tbsp chopped bean sprouts
2.5 tbsp hot water
1.5 tsp chopped chili
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup rice vermicelli (cellophane noodles)

Extras:

20-25 sheets rice paper (banh trangh, usually pre-cut as large quarter circles or triangles)
Large leaf Lettuce
Mint leaves

Sauce (nhuoc cham):

2 dried red chillies finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped and pounded (garlic and chillies can be substituted with two teaspoons of good sambal paste)
0.5 tsp sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce (nom pla - any UK supermarket, and all Asian supermarkets)
1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Mix meat, shrimp, onions, coriander, bean sprouts, chillies, sugar, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor and pulse to obtain a coarsely ground mix

  

Break rice vermicelli into short pieces and soak in hot water for 5 minutes; when soft, drain and add to the filling mixture. Soak the mushrooms in 2.5 tbsp hot water for ten minutes or until reconstituted, and add to mixture with water (if you use fresh mushrooms, just chop finely and add the water before blending). Massage the filling with clean hands to mix it all together thoroughly, whilst grimacing and making squelchy noises if you have an audience.

Immerse a couple of sheets of rice paper into water for a second and place on a flat working surface; they'll need a minute or two to soften, otherwise they'll simply crack when you try to manipulate them.
Next, place three or four teaspoons of the filling at base of rice paper -- you'll get a feel for how much is optimal based on the size of your sheets of rice paper -- fold the bottom edge up over the filling, tucking it into a cylindrical shape, then draw in the left and right corners and, holding them in place, roll up the rest of the sheet to the top. The rice paper should self seal when lightly pressed, but if not, moisten the last bit with water or beaten egg if it needs convincing.

Prepare subsequent rolls in the same manner, and set aside on a lightly oiled or floured tray to prevent sticking; freezing should be carried out at this point if desired. When they're all done, prepare the sauce by combining the ingredients, and then either shallow or deep fry the spring rolls till they're golden brown (if well rolled, no oil will get inside), then remove them with a slotted spatula and place on a thick layer of paper towels to remove the excess oil. They should stay crispy for at least an hour.

Traditional consumption involves placing the fried spring roll at base of a leaf of lettuce, along with bean sprouts and mint leaves, rolling this up in turn, and then dipping it into the sauce for a flavour explosion in the mouth.