Fresh Spring Rolls Surf and Turf Style.

    Today I had a yen (no pun intended) for fresh spring rolls and preferring fatter, well stuffed ones, I make them myself. The restaurant ones are usually packed with Romaine lettuce and not packed with the goodies. 

    I found some Alaska caught Side Stripped Shrimp at the local fish market (Costco) and will pair them with sweet Filipino sausage slices for the "surf and turf touch." Getting everything cooked, sliced, laid out and ready to load is imperative before you cook (soften)  the rice paper. 

      I boiled the sausages, sliced them in half  and browned them on the griddle. Pat them dry as any wetness will sabotage the rolls.

    
Cook and drain some rice noodles separating them as they drain so not too be clumpy.











Some Romaine leaves will add their natural moisture without wetness.
Trim the ribs, wash, slice and towel dry the pieces.





Next comes the English Cucumber. Cut off a short round, peel and slice it in half.

"V" cut the seeds out . These "C" sections will be sliced lengthwise and used to add crunch.

Now slice the sausages into strips and get some fresh cilantro ready to crown the rolls.

     Warm some water in a medium frying pan. Not too hot as you will be using your fingers to hold the paper down and lifting it out when it's the right softness. You may have to reheat the water occasionally.
    BTW-my hands are not really that big- it's the camera angle.





The rice paper becomes transparent as it softens and when it reaches the right pliability gently lift it out and let the water drip off. Finding the right time to pull the paper out takes some experimentation. 


It is better to pull it early than to let it "cook" too long. Keep your fingers wet to aid in handling the paper. It will continue to soften as you load it but if it has cooked too long you end up with rice paper soup.





Lay the paper on your clean cutting board and with wet fingers, gently pull it into shape.  Start with a rice noodle base and layer on 3 or 4 cucumber slices, some peeled shrimp, Romaine sections, sausage pieces and top with cilantro.




Make sure no sharp filling edges protrude and everything is contained within the rice noodle bundle.

Fold the sides in and, once again with wet fingers, roll it up like a burrito. You may need to moisten the seams and especially where the end seals the roll. I like my rolls to be slightly loose where there is less chance of rippage.



 Add some dipping sauce-  I prefer Mae Ploy sweet chili dipping sauce, and enjoy.

If you can't finish all the rolls, store the leftovers in a plastic container on top of and separated by some Romaine leave pieces to keep them from sticking together.