Cellophane Wraps Continued (and Finished)

So, let's see...where did I leave off last time? Oh, right, mixing the spices into the noodles. I forgot to say that you should also add the chicken and veggie mixture into the noodles and spices while you are mixing. Well after your done with that, then your ready to start putting it all together. You're gonna need two big plates, two small dishes, and a shallow pan. This was our set up: The small dishes are for any dipping sauce you want to use. We used sweet chili sauce. In the shallow pan, you will put cold water to soak your rice paper in. We (i.e. I) didn't have a shallow pan, so I washed out the fry pan and put some cold water in it. The water doesn't need to be hot. I previously believed that you needed hot water to soak these in, but after a cooking lesson at a local Vietnamese restaurant, I learned that cold water is better...but I'm not sure why. So the rice paper should only be dunked 2-3 times, and you should pull it out almost immediately. Don't let it soak in the water. After dipping the rice paper, we just put it out on our plate, since we were planning to eat it immediately after finishing wrapping it. If you are planning to make several before eating them, or if you want to fry them in a batch, you should lay a damp paper towel out on a tray and when you're done wrapping it, put the wrap on the damp paper towel and then cover it with another damp paper towel. The towel doesn't need to be soaking wet. The moisture will keep the rice paper from drying up.

Next, comes the wrapping. This is pretty easy, but if you want your wrap to look like a work of art, then it's gonna take some practice. First, put a small to medium portion of the noodles mixture close to one side. Leave about one inch to an inch and a half of space from the edge. Next, take the bottom edge and pull tight over the noodle mixture. You want the noodles to fit firmly snug in this first pull-over. If you don't wrap-over firmly enough, then your wrap might be floppy or messy. If you pull too tightly, then your rice paper could rip. When you've rolled the mixture into the rice paper so that the top of your noodle mixture is now face down on the plate, it's time to fold in the sides. Just like so, thank you, X. And then you roll over until your wrap is complete. The rice paper will stick to itself because while you are wrapping, it will be drying, so there's no need to close it with slicking the edges or anything. Here is a finished picture of X's wrap. She chose to forgo the avocado and just had a nice plain wrap. I on the other hand....I chose to add avocado mixed with lime juice into my wrap. And this is a perfect way to explain how to make your wraps look pretty. If you want to add decorative herbs or place shrimp in the shape of hearts, you should place them above your main mixture. When you go to wrap it, follow the directions above. During your first wrap-over, wrap only the main mixture, fold in the sides and keep wrapping until finished. When you turn it over, you will be able to see your design. The avocado helped cool down the spiciness of the wrap and it made it a little creamy. Initially, I had planned to make a batch of wraps and then pan fry them to make them crispy on the outside, but severe hunger and impatience put my plan on hold. Oh well, there's always next time! These were really delicious and totally worth the time they took to make. I really can't say enough about how satisfying these were. I should also add, we made enough food for 3-4 people. If you make these with a full pack of cellophane noodles prepare for some leftovers.