Two Perspectives of a Roll

By: Shanie Noor

My mom and dad went to this church in Highland Park, New Jersey for the first 5 years they moved to the east coast. This church helped my parents a lot with their immigration issues. My parents always had trouble with getting a green card or a visa. The pastor of the church still talks to my parents even after their deportation. At that church, they were able to get to know other Indonesians that became close to my parents. More specifically my mom. My mom met this Vietnamese woman at that church. According to my mom, they had a language barrier so it was

difficult to communicate, but somehow they made it work. Their friendship started to grow and one day this woman taught my mom how to make fried Vietnamese Spring Rolls. This recipe stuck to her because she fell in love with it. To this day my mom still knows the recipe and remembers how to make it.

Growing up I was taught a lot of things about cooking and food from both of my parents. I learned how to cook from them because they were both chefs. My mom is an at-home cook and my dad is a hibachi chef. But growing up, my parents struggled a lot with money. There would be times where I would see my parents be worried if they’re able to get food on the table for the family. But I always saw that my mom always made these fried spring rolls. They would be so crispy and warm and my mom always seemed like she had fun every time she made them. But just like anything else, after eating so much of it, I got bored of it. Then I didn’t eat them as much but now I’m really craving some. I don’t live with my parents anymore so

every time I eat a fried Vietnamese spring roll it brings me back to when I was younger. I am able to appreciate it more now because I know how much time and labor it takes to make a dish. I’ve grown to appreciate what others cook and to now look at it in a different way other than just something to digest.

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Vietnamese Fried

Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

For fried spring rolls:

3 cloves of garlic
2 shredded carrots
1 small chopped onion
1 lb of ground meat (pork or chicken)
2 chips of shredded soaked wood ear mushrooms
1 egg
1 small pack of vermicelli noodles
1 1/2 tablespoons of salt
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
1/2 tsp of white pepper
1 pinch of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
spring roll wrappers
1 eggs white

For dipping sauce

5 1/2 tablespoons of sugar
3/4 cup of warm water
1/4 cup of fish sauce
2 tablespoons of unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tsps of fresh lime juice
2 minced garlic cloves
finely chopped red Thai chiles

Directions:

Step 1. Prep all your ingredients.

Step 2. Soak the wood ear mushrooms.

Step 3. Shred your carrots and squeeze remaining water from carrots using cheesecloth or a strainer if it works well.

Step 4. Mince the garlic.

Step 5. Finely dice your small onion.

Step 6. Cook the vermicelli noodles but not all the way through and strain.

Step 7. After your wood war mushrooms area hydrated, take them out and thinly slice the wood ear mushrooms.

Step 8. Put in a large bowl your shredded carrots, mushrooms. garlic, onion, noodles, and eggs.

Step 9. Mix all together until fully incorporated and then add your seasonings.

Step 10. Lay down a sheet of the spring roll wrapper, a vertice pointing at you and place a dollop or two of the mixture onto the wrapper about two inches away from the tip.

Step 11. Roll the spring rolls and try in oil until golden brown.

Step 12. Serve with lettuce and dipping sauce.