spring rolls any-which-way

over the past year i've slowly started trying to make my own creations based on recipes i've followed and others i've read about that sounded good. i'm definitely outside my comfort zone when it comes to creating my own recipes. i love measuring and being exact, so it has been a challenge for me to test the ideas i have rattling around in my head. that being said, i wanted to share one of my more recent successes.

about a year ago one of my best friends and crafting-cooking-drinking buddy and i took a 'roll making' class at our local learning exchanged. we learned how to make four different types of rolls and the two we liked the best were the fried southwest rolls and the asian spring rolls. the asian spring rolls were the type with the clear wraps and noodles with veggies and shrimp in them...i'll post the recipe for those in a separate post. for now here is the recipe for the version i created.

1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 carrot grated
1 leek thinly sliced (wash in a bowl of water...the dirt will fall to the bottom and you can just scoop the sliced pieces out and pat dry them)
1 bunch of green onions thinly sliced
1 bunch of basil leaves thinly sliced
firm tofu
1 tbs. olive oil
soy sauce to taste
1 tbs. sugar
spices to taste: salt, pepper, garlic powder, ground cumin, ground ginger
1 pkg. skinny vermicelli noodles
1 pkg. clear rice wraps

1. prep all the ingredients...i always do all the slicing and chopping before i heat the pan. you will also want to cook the vermicelli noodles and run a knife through them a couple times. and the tofu is cut into tiny cubes.

2. heat oil over medium to medium high heat...i used my wok, but a regular frying pan would work just as well.

3. sautee the leeks and carrots for 1 minutes.

4. cook ground pork and ground beef until browned...add the spices during this step.

5. add the tofu, noodles, basil and green onions and sprinkle mixture with the sugar and soy sauce.

6. once the tofu and noodles look like they've absorbed some of the flavoring then it's time to roll!

7. keep the filling mixture on low, so it stays warm as you roll.

8. in order to get this done quickly you'll want to wet at least 3 - 4 wraps at a time. you'll need a separate shallow pan for each wrap filled with warm water. as you take one out to use it then replace the pan with a new wrap...this will keep things moving.

9. place about 2 heaping tablespoons on a wrap...just to one side of the midline. roll it twice up and away from you then fold the sides inward. roll once more away from you and you're done. keep rolling as fast as you can, so they stay nice and warm. (i might have to make a video the next time i make these)

10. i served ours over rice and had a dipping sauce station, where each person could create their own sauce to the spiciness of their liking.

the meat filling...my family loved the filling and asked if i would make it to have over rice someday...without rolling it...the easier the better i guess :)

i always like the diagonal cut for rolls...presentation counts!

tips: once you get the hang of how the wraps get to the right texture you can create almost anything...