Crispy Salmon and Avocado Spring Rolls

My mother taught me how to make cha gios when I was young. She learned how to make them when she was working as a linguist in Vietnam during the war. It was our favorite food as kids and whenever we came home from boarding school for Christmas or summer holidays she would make us a huge dinner of crab meat-stuffed spring rolls, wrapped in crispy lettuce and dipped in the salty-sour so good sauce.

I have adapted the recipe here, using smoked salmon instead of crab meat, avocado instead of mung bean sprouts and honey instead of sugar in the sauce, but the results are every bit as delicious as the original so I suggest you try it as many ways as you can. You won’t regret it! Video demo.

Serves approximately 2

Sauce:

• 1/4 c honey
• 1/2 c fish sauce
• 4-5 toasted coriander seeds, crushed
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 1 lime’s juice

Method: Mix together well and taste. Adjust ingredients to suit your taste.

Stuffing:

• 4 oz smoked salmon, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• finely chopped herb-mint, lemon verbena, kaffir lime leaves or any aromatic herb that you like
• Splash of Sriracha hot sauce
• salt
• 8-10 rice paper sheets, soaked in water
• 1/2 – 1 c oil or other fat
• pinch turmeric

Method: Mix together the stuffing. Soak the rice paper. Gently fold the stuffing into the rice paper sheets. Keep covered with a damp cloth while preparing the rest of the spring rolls. Heat the oil and add a pinch of turmeric to help to counteract oxidization of the fats at high temperatures. Place the spring rolls in the fat with the seal side down. The oil should come up about half-way on the spring rolls. Do not try to deep fry these rolls as the stuffing will come out everywhere.

When golden and crispy on both sides remove from fat and let drain.

Serve with sauce and a variety of fresh herbs and salad greens to help to cut through the fat and assist with digestion.

Read more ...

Serves 4. This is an excellent dish and unusual, but well worth it. It is especially tasty and nutritious if the summer squash is picked right out of your own garden!

• 5-6 yellow squash, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 inch ginger, grated
• 2 eggs
• pinch turmeric
• pinch cardamom
• pinch salt
• pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 c gouda or edam cheese, grated
• 2T dijon mustard

Method: Heat a thick bottomed frying pan with a little oil until smoking hot.

Toss in the chopped yellow squash, add a bit more butter or oil, according to your preference. I like butter.

Read more ...

serves 4

• 2 onions, large dice
• 1/2 head garlic, peeled
• 5-6 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and large dice

Turn the oven to 400 degrees. Mix items together in a large roasting tray.

Add:

• Oil to lightly coat pan-coconut or olive oil and butter are best
• Sprinkle of salt
• Sprinkle of fresh cracked black pepper
• Sprinkle of ground cinnamon
• Sprinkle of hot chili powder
• Sprinkle of ground cloves

Method Quickly rub oil onto vegetables, taking care to coat every surface. Pat out evenly on tray and place in very hot oven (400 degrees).

Read more ...

The Rakhine people of Western Myanmar love very hot spicy food and make this dip hotter than I can handle it. Therefore, although I say the chili’s are optional, it is no longer an Arakanese dip if the chilis are not added!

serves 4

• 5-6 Japanese eggplants
• ½ small white onion, sliced very thin and rinsed under cold water
• 1/4 c cold pressed peanut oil
• 2-3 hot green or red fresh chilis (optional)

Method: Roast the eggplants in a very hot oven until very soft. If you have a BBQ grill the eggplants over the flame until the skin is blackened and they are soft. This tastes much better if done over a grill.

Read more ...