Vietnamese Summer Rolls (aka Spring Rolls, aka Goi Cuon)

So per Miena's request/suggestion, I am posting my first blog recipe. While I can post my to-die-for bacon mac 'n' cheese recipe or scrumptious fruit cheesecake recipe, I've decided to go the unique route with posting a recipe for an ethnic dish: Vietnamese Goi Cuon (aka summer/spring rolls). This really is a very simple "recipe", if you can even call it that. It is more of a list of instructions on how to put it together :)

You can start by purchasing the following ingredients at an Asian Grocery store:
Rice Paper wrapper
Rice Vermicelli noodles
Hoisin sauce
Shrimp
Peanuts
Fresh mint leaves (optional)

You will find that this recipe has been recreated in many different ways. This is the way my mom made it for us (yes, she's 100% Vietnamese!), and this is how I make it when I'm in the mood for some viet food.

Making the Roll:
1. Boil the noodles per the package's instructions.
2. Cook and peel the shrimp. You can butterfly them OR leave them whole. It just depends on how far you are trying to stretch your supply of shrimp.

3. Make sure to wash the mint leaves if you are using them!

Now prepare a bowl of hot tap water 

(don't bother to boil... it's really not necessary)

4. Have your prep plate ready, and start by dipping a sheet of rice paper wrapper into the hot water. Be sure to get all areas of the wrapper wet, and be sure to let most of the water drip off the wrappers before laying them on your plate.

I generally like to use 2 wrappers, because they tend to tear, 

and sorta stagger them on top of each other like seen below.

5. Working quickly (because the wrapper will now unstiffen and get sticky), you can place a handful of noodles on there, lay out about 3-4 shrimps in a row and add the optional mint leaves.

6. Similar to folding a burrito, you fold from the bottom up, and then the sides and begin to roll a nice firm roll. Continue doing this until you have enough to serve.

The dipping sauce (the most crucial part that brings it all together... and the easiest part!):
Step 1: Crush your peanuts. I like to let the kids go at it with a rolling pin :)
Step 2: Generally, I guestimate how I water down the hoisin sauce. But for the sake of a recipe, I'll say you can use 1/4 cup of the hoisin sauce and stir in 3 tablespoon of water to get it to nice saucy consistency.
Step 3: Mix the peanuts in the sauce. Voila, you've got summer roll dipping sauce.




Final product: ENJOY!


This is meant to eat shortly after making them. You can wrap with a cling-wrap and refrigerate, but after a few hours, the rice wrapper will begin to stiffen =/

You can also substitute the shrimp with chicken breast strips. I've even made tofu summer rolls for my vegetarian friends before! Also, in place of mint leaves, you can add a leaf of lettuce.


I have no idea what the Nutrition Facts are for this, but I can say I think most of the calories come from the Dipping Sauce.

Having a "Ditchin Time" quilting!!

So working at Hopkins I have discovered that I have many talented colleagues! One of the many talents is Stephanie from A Ditchin' Time Quilts, who is not only an excellent Nurse but loves to quilt. She gathered a large group of us from the NICU and started a monthly quilting class that I could not resist to sign up for :)

Yesterday we had our first class and I had a blast! Our project was to create a Quilted Needle Book:

My fabric selections, cut into 1.5in strips and sewn together.

This is how I decided to create a binding and back cover for my needle book.

The completed product, notice the cute abalone button that I got from Stephanie's mother's button stash! 

(for interior photos with the felt for the needles, check out Stephanie's blog tutorial)

To see the Tutorial on how to make a Quilted Needle Book, 

visit Stephanie at A Ditchin' Time Quilts.

To see my her blog about my colleagues and I, click here. You'll see yours truly on a photo midway through the posting ;)