Man Candy!

Are we in a new era?
Watch this music video! "Candyman" by Christina Aguilera.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-ScjucUV8v0

Check out this photoset of food...micrographs!
http://blogs.wsj.com/photojournal/2011/12/27/close-up-cuisine/?KEYWORDS=sprinkles

Leaves!

I wanted to write a blog post about some herbs used in spring rolls!**

**I believe Alison addressed spring rolls in one of her blogs. There is some discrepancy about the naming of "spring" rolls versus "summer" rolls versus egg rolls, etc.
But...in my Chinese-Vietnamese family, they are called technically "gỏi cuốn" and the fillings are mostly raw; the entire roll is neither pan fried nor fried. 

The outside wrapping is made of rice paper, and you can fill the insides with mostly anything, but usually the common fillings are rice noodles and: shrimp, fried tofu/veggie mix, boiled pork, and a julienned pork mixture. Sometimes, with hotpot meals, seafood or beef can be used. Rarely are other types of beef or chicken used. Usually, there's a dipping sauce like fish sauce/lemon/shredded carrots (nuoc mam) or a hoisin-peanut sauce.


This is a typical picture of spring rolls, ones we'd eat at my house and that you can find on Vietnamese menus. For the veggies, you'd put in

• bean sprouts
• slices of cucumber
• thai basil
• cilantro
• chives
• sometimes for kicks: lotus root, tomato, roasted peanuts
  
  And there are some more exotic herbs put in, which sometimes people find too strong for them! For instance, I was eating one in my room the other day and my roommate said it smelled like a jungle. I will list them here with their real names and what I call them at home.
  
  I wish I could have gone home to take pics of these herbs in person, but I got them from this website:http://kitchentoworld.com/vietnam-ingredients/fresh-herbs-in-vietnamese-cuisine/
  I also vouch that these herbs make or break Vietnamese food, and paler versions of spring rolls only have lettuce, cucumber, and fewer of these herbs.

• 

  Rau tía tô or Vietnamese Perilla

  I call this leaf, usually dark green on the top with a purple underside, "Tia To." Our rabbits love it. the plants get huge and the leaves can be big as your palm. It has a somewhat sweet taste, but definitely has a medicinal taste to it as well.
  
• This leaf is called "chicken leaf" in my house because it goes well with chicken. It's a long thin leaf that grows on little stalks and has an identifying dark mark on the top, shaped like a U. It has a more bitter taste and is "zingy."

  

  RAU RĂM or Vietnamese coriander
  
  

  

  KINH GIỚI or "Vietnamese Balm" or "vietnamese lemon mint

  This is what I likened to a green version of the "Tia To." It's often eaten with a seafood noodle soup from my dad's countryside, My Tho (Hu Tieu My Tho). It definitely smells a bit lemony-fresh, like zest ( I thought this before I knew the English name).
  

  

  Rau húng lủi or "Spearmint"

  This mint grows quite easily in the sidewalk cracks of my garden. People usually only eat the tops of the stalks because those are the youngest part of the plant, and the least bitter. It's strong by itself, but pairs well with the meat or filling of the roll.

  

  Rau Diep Ca or "Fish Mint" or "Fish Herb"
  

  I always called this one "heart leaf" or as a joke, "fart leaf" because the smell of the leaf is somewhat sulfuric. It doesn't smell like a flower garden.
  
  Interestingly, to some friends, these all taste just like leaves. Or bitter leaves. But for me, I've grown up remembering their individual tastes and how they contribute to the overall taste of a dish, and I can identify them by sight and smell.
  
  There are other herbs you can put in too, but these are the basic ones, and people in my family make a fuss if these aren't present.
  
  That's all for now; hope it was informational! :)