Fish Tales

I love fish! To eat, that is. I tried having some for pets, but they're just a lot of work. I hate cleaning fish tanks! I'm more of the fastidious pet lover, like cats for instance. Plus, I don't really connect with fish the same way I do when I'm around doggies or kitties.

Anyway, today is a lazy day, being a holiday. So I decided to make one of my favorite foods--Vietnamese Spring Rolls! Actually, their my very own version. Instead of meat and shrimp, I use boneless bangus back fillet.

You will need:

• 2 packs boneless bangus back fillet (this is the meatiest part)
• 1/2 cup water
• salt & pepper
• 4 carrots, peeled and grated
• some kinchay, finely chopped
• 3 eggs, slightly beaten
• the smallest pack of vermicelli you can find, soaked and cut into 1" pieces
• lumpia wrapper (about 40 pieces), separated

First, boil the bangus in water. Season with salt & pepper. After 15 minutes, the fish will be nicely done, so take it out of the broth and drain.

Meanwhile, combine the grated carrots and kinchay in a mixing bowl. Flake the cooked bangus and add into the vegetables. Drain the vermicelli and add into the mixture. Stir in beaten eggs and mix thoroughly.

Take about a tablespoon of the bangus mix and place at the center of the wrapper. Form into a log along the entire length of the wrapper, roll up one end and seal with a little brushing of water.

Continue doing this until all the bangus and wrapper are used up. You can then freeze the spring rolls and cook them later, or you can heat up some oil and fry them right away.

Before serving, cut the rolls in the middle diagonally to make 2 rolls. You can either eat this as is with sweet-chili sauce (I use Del Monte or Jufran), or you can be fancy and serve on the side with lettuce and fresh mint leaves.

To eat, get a piece of the lumpia, put in the center of a lettuce leaf, add 2 to 3 mint leaves, spoon a little bit of the sweet-chili sauce and roll the leaf to wrap everything.