Like Fresh Summer Rolls? It’s A Wrap
Tung Chau and Hong K. Cao, owners of Ba-Le Sandwich Shop and Bakery in Kailua, have worked very hard to make their business a success. They came here from Vietnam 28 years ago and worked for Ba-Le in Honolulu before opening in Kailua 24 years ago. They are family oriented, with members of their family cooking and greeting customers. They would like to thank their loyal Kailua following, many of them patrons since it opened.
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Both Hong and Tung are extremely friendly and courteous, and treat customers like family.
Fresh vegetables are cut every day, and there are more than 40 selections of mouth-watering soups, hot entrees, curries, sandwiches and salads, each prepared to order; no MSG is used in the food. The retail section has an array of Asian ingredients and other items for sale.
My favorite desserts are their different kinds of tapioca and flan custard.
This column is dedicated to Tung and Hong for their dedication and hard work in making such a success of their business.
Here is my recipe for a delicious and very healthy appetizer or main dish. I like to buy fresh shrimp, but you can use frozen shrimp with good results.
When purchasing fresh shrimp, ensure they are firm in texture and smell only slightly fishy. Avoid shrimp that have any ammonia smell, or that have black spots. Frozen shrimp should not be covered in frost, as they may be dried out; frozen shrimp should be slowly defrosted in the refrigerator.
Shrimp can be kept refrigerated for about two days and frozen for a month.
Shrimp are rich in vitamin B12 and niacin, and contain protein and iodine. They are high in cholesterol but extremely low in fat.
VEGGIE AND SHRIMP SUMMER ROLLS
• 1 package cellophane noodles, cooked for 2-3 minutes until transparent, rinsed for a few seconds and drained
• 10 rice paper wrappers
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 1 bunch romaine or red leaf lettuce, washed and cut into large pieces
• 1 bunch cilantro, washed, stems removed
• 1 bunch mint, washed, stems removed
• 30 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil cooking spray
Coat a large nonstick pan with cooking spray; heat pan and cook seasoned shrimp until pink and done. Remove from pan and refrigerate to cool. While shrimp are cooling, prepare the vegetables.
To assemble rolls: Fill a shallow bowl with warm water. One at a time, submerge rice paper in water for about 30 seconds until softened. Put wrapper on a clean, dry plate and place three shrimp along center. Add a few pieces of carrot, cucumber, small amount of noodles, and a few leaves of lettuce, cilantro and mint in center atop the shrimp. Fold bottom of wrapper over ingredients and press to create a seal, then fold ends in over the filling. Roll up rest of wrap like a burrito.
Repeat with remaining wrappers and ingredients.
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Makes 10 rolls.
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