Make Tamarind Tree’s delicious spring rolls at home

The Seattle Times - GROWING UP IN Saigon, Ngoan Nguyen learned how to make spring rolls from her mother, Tao. Chocked full of lettuce and herbs, prawns or pork, spring rolls are commonly eaten as appetizers in Vietnam. A spring roll is not cooked: it’s a fresh garden in gossamer rice paper. Today, living in Seattle, Ngoan wants to pass on the spring roll technique to her children.

When the Nguyen family opened Tamarind Tree restaurant in Seattle in 2004, Ngoan made some twists to the traditional spring roll recipe. She leaves generous amounts of lettuce sticking out of both ends and serves the rolls cut-side down so they appear like miniature trees. And she added what might be the crown jewel of Tamarind Tree’s spring rolls — a long and thin fried egg roll tube that provides a surprising and satisfying crunch.

With some advance preparation, these rolls are quick and fun to assemble with the whole family.