Recipe of the week from Hahn and Nelson Family Medicine: SPRING rolls!

When I was shopping at the Martin's in Hagerstown, I noticed that they're stocking the rice papers used for spring rolls. I was so happy to see this; I used to have to order them from an online Asian grocery.

Fresh spring rolls are so versatile and healthy. Unlike their fried cousins, fresh spring rolls are made by softening the rice paper in hot water. Then you wrap up whatever delectable filling you like. There are a lot of good recipes on the web for fresh spring rolls. Or get creative and take a look in your refrigerator; you'll surely find something to roll into a delightful appetizer.

Don't be afraid of the rice papers. They aren't quite as delicate as they look. You will want to take care of them when you get them home, because they can break easily.

When you're ready to make your rolls, first have all your ingredients ready to go. Rather than chopped, your ingredients should be very finely sliced. Aim for very fine matchsticks approximately 1/2" long. You know those carrot shreds you can buy in the grocery store? They're the perfect size. Don't use anything too wet. It might help if you give the wetter ingredients, such as cucumber, a light pat with a paper towel after chopping them. Here are some things I've wrapped: almost ripe avocados, cucumber, raw asparagus, the packaged coleslaw cabbage, shredded lettuce, spring onions, chopped, cooked shrimp, cilantro, the aforementioned carrot shreds, and peppers. You can also fill the rolls with those bean thread, or cellophane noodles after they've been soaked properly. They give your rolls a nice texture. I like to have each ingredient in a separate dish; some people just throw them all together.

When you're ready to roll (!), fill a pie pan or other shallow dish with very hot water. I also keep my tea pot full of hot water to refresh it if I'm making a big batch of spring rolls.

Then here's how it goes:

1. Dip one rice paper in the pie pan of hot water, count to five or six, flip it with tongs, count again, and then use the tongs to deftly lift it out and onto a large, clean plate.
2.  Smooth it out a bit, and then put in a few tablespoons of filling near the middle. Try to keep the filling so all the matchsticks are vertical -- otherwise they might poke through the rice paper.
3. Then fold in the ends and starting at the bottom, roll it up nice and tightly. There are numerous videos on Youtube that demonstrate this; here's one that doesn't have any smutty comments after it!

 As you wrap your rolls, occassionally you may rip the wrapper. Don't worry -- just keep rolling. If the roll falls apart, just cut it in half, or eat it! Just go slow. This is not something you're going to want to rush, so make these on a day you can relax and enjoy the experience.

You'll probably want to make a dip. The dip can be spicy, sour, or sweet. Try experimenting with combinations of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, chili garlic sauce, or sesame oil or just use one of the recipes in the link above.

Once you're done, you have the perfect picnic food, or party appetizer. I usually cut the spring rolls in half with a very sharp knife right before serving; otherwise they get eaten way too quickly! I've put a plateful of these down at a buffet, and by the time I got to them in the line, they were completely gone. So one final hint: If you want any for yourself, put some in the refrigerator!