Teeny Tiny Tinh. Probably of the smallest and most smiley of all the grandmothers we have cooked with and certainly the only granny covered in tattoos and wearing black Nike slides.
We found Tinh through her lovely daughter who runs Hanoi Cafe in London. When we met at her home, Tinh had her special Vietnamese knife in hand at all times. Watching her nip little pieces of carrot for the dipping sauce was highly satisfying. She prepared the rice paper and rolled the spring rolls with matching precision. After a few demonstrations we set up either side of her, wetting the rice paper until sticky and malleable enough to wrap the filling. Soon a large pile had formed and Tinh began the cooking process; straight into the hot oil to puff and crisp.
We ate from little bowls with noodles, salad and sauce, cutting the spring rolls in half with scissors for ease of eating. About seven spring rolls (each) and several hugs later, we left, Tinh blowing kisses in the doorway.
Cha Nem Hanoi
(pork and crab spring rolls with pickle salad)
Feeds 4-6 people
Takes 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients
For the salad
1 kohlrabi, peeled and julienned
2 large carrots (or 4 small), peeled and julienned
1 bunch coriander, stalks chopped into 2-3cm pieces
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp rice vinegar
For the spring rolls
250g lean pork mince
100g crabmeat (one small tin)
2 small onions, finely diced
½ kohlrabi, peeled and finely diced
1 large carrot (or 2 small), peeled and finely diced
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 egg, beaten
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 x 12 pack rice spring roll wrappers (22cm diameter)
For the dipping water (nuoc cham)
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 small carrot, cut into very fine crescents (Ting takes slivers from the top, moving around to create pretty, tiny pieces)
2 garlic cloves, very finely sliced
3 tbsp rice vinegar
red birdseye chillies, very finely sliced (to taste)
Method
For the salad:
Prepare the kohlrabi and carrots and put them into a bowl.
Take the coriander stalks and add to the vegetables, saving the leaves for another dish. (Tinh says most of the flavour is in the stalks!)
Add the sugar, salt and vinegar and mix well. Place into the fridge until needed.
For the spring rolls
In a bowl, mix the pork and crab. Add the diced onions, kohlrabi and carrot, followed by the sugar, salt, fish sauce and egg. Stir until well combined.
Next, get the wrappers ready by preparing a small bowl of just-boiled water with 3 tbsp vinegar. Have the wrappers to hand and prepare one at a time on a board or plate.
Dip your hand into the water and stroke the water all over both sides of the rice wrapper, until it’s transparent and becoming loose and sticky.
On the side of the wrapper closest to you, put a generously heaped 1 tbsp of pork filling. Roll the closest edge over, tuck tightly and roll to the middle. Bring the sides in and roll until up until secure. Place on a clean dampened tea towel or greased tray so they aren’t touching, otherwise they may stick together.
Repeat until all the rolls are done. Then heat 1cm vegetable oil in a flat-bottomed pan – you’re shallow frying, not deep frying. Make sure the oil is nice and hot before putting your rolls in. Work in batches, so they don’t stick together and fry for 8 minutes, or until lightly browned and crisp. Keep finished rolls in a warm place until ready to serve.
For the dipping water
In a heatproof jug or bowl, dissolve the sugar in a touch of boiling water. Tip the carrot and garlic slivers in and add 3 tbsp vinegar. Add the chilli last, taste and adjust the sweet-sour ratio to your taste by adding more vinegar or sugar, as you like. Don’t be tempted to skip this sauce, it really makes the dish.
Serve the crispy spring rolls with the dipping sauce, salad and vermicelli noodles.
TIP: If you want to make a veggie version of the spring rolls, substitute the pork and crab for mushrooms or crumbled firm tofu.
