Twinkle in the Eye: Ha Noi Style Spring Rolls with Bent on Food

Saturday, 9 February 2013

Ha Noi Style Spring Rolls with Bent on Food

The other week I had the opportunity to attend the Vietnamese cooking class at the Bent on Food Cookery School. We made some fabulous dishes including a Vietnamese Prawn Salad, a Beef Noodle Soup - Pho Bo, an Asian Style Panacotta and finally these delicious Ha Noi Style Spring Rolls. I can honestly say the filling in these spring rolls was the best I have ever eaten.

Ingredients

Spring rolls

150g minced lean pork
150g bean sprouts, roughly chopped
150g onion, finely chopped
30g spring onions, roughly chopped
30g Vermicelli noodle, soaked in cold water until soft and roughly chopped
30g Wood Ear or Shiitaki mushrooms
2 eggs
20 sheets of rice paper
1 teaspoon of black pepper
2 teaspoons of sugar
Vegetable oil for frying

Dipping sauce

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of fish sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
3 cups of water
1 tablespoon of chilli, chopped
1 tablespoon of garlic, crushed

Method

Spring rolls

1. Place rice paper between sheets of banana leaf or moist chux, set aside.
2. Soak mushrooms until soft, drain and chop.
3. Soak Vermicelli as per instructions, drain and chop.
4. Combine bean sprouts, onions, spring onions, shallots. Squeeze lightly to remove excess water.
5. Add all of the above ingredients to pork, add beaten eggs, sugar and pepper, mix well.
6. Onto each sheet of rice paper place one tablespoon of mixture into the corner of the wrapper. Fold corner over filling then roll up from corner to corner, folding edges in to enclose the filling. Do not over fill and wrap firmly so there are no air bubbles which may cause the rolls to split on cooking.
7. Pour vegetable oil into wok until 1/3 full. Heat until a small piece of bread when dropped in begins to sizzle. Make sure the oil is not too hot or the spring rolls may split.
8. Drop 3 to 4 rolls in at a time and cook until golden brown. Remove from oil and place on a plate with a piece of absorbent paper towel, before moving to a serving plate.

Dipping sauce

1. Mix sugar, fish sauce, vinegar and water, then add chilli and garlic.

Makes 20

The Bent on Food Cookery School is located in the historic town of Wingham on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales in Australia. The School offers a range of courses including cheese making, barista courses, children's classes and more.

If having a meal prepared for you is more your style then head toward Bent on Food, the multi-award winning cafe, with fabulous coffee, beautiful breakfasts and tasty lunches that celebrate local produce. The experience is only made better by a short stroll up the road to Bent on Life, the beautiful home-wares store.

Can't get to Wingham? That's ok, they're online! Click here to check out the beautiful range of home-wares at Bent on Life and here to find the Bent on Food gourmet food range.