Yield: 80 Servings
| Measure | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 2 ounces | Bean-thread (cellophane) noo dles 1 lb. ground por |
| 1 large | Onion; chopped fine |
| 2 tablespoons | Tree ears (see cook's notes) |
| 3 \N | Garlic cloves; chopped fine |
| 3 \N | Scallions; chopped fine |
| 7 ounces | Crab meat; cartilage removed and meat flaked |
| ½ teaspoon | Pepper, black, ground |
| 20 \N | Sheets dried rice paper |
| 4 \N | Eggs; well beaten |
| 2 cups | Oil, peanut |
| \N \N | Lettuce; shredded |
| \N \N | Mint leaves |
| \N \N | Cilantro |
| \N \N | Cucumber; sliced |
| \N \N | Nuoc cham dipping sauce |
Cook's notes: Tree ears, also called cloud ears, are dried fungi that look like dried black chips. When soaked in water they expand 5 or 6 times their orginal size. Soak in warm water for 30 minutes; drain and finely chop.
Procedure: Soak noodles in warm water for 20 minutes; drain and cut into 1" lengths. Combine noodles with remaining filling ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Cut a round rice-paper sheet into quarters.
Place cut paper on a flat surface. With a pastry brush, paint beaten eggs over the entire surface of each of the pieces. Before filling, wait for the egg mixture to soften the wrappers; this takes about two minutes. When the wrapper looks soft and transparent, place about 1 tsp. of filling near the curved side, in the shape of a rectangle.
Fold the sides over to enclose filling and continue to roll.
After filling all the wrappers, pour the oil into a large, deep frying pan or wok, put the rolls into the cold oil, turn the heat to moderate and fry 20 to 30 minutes until golden brown.
Presentation: Serve hot. Serve spring rolls on vegetable platterss among lettuce, mint leaves, cilantro and cucumber slices. Also serve with nuoc cham sauce if desired. Makes 80 spring rolls. Source: Classic Cuisine of Vietnam Cookbook, by Bach Ngo and Gloria Zimmerman.