My sister is the official tradition keeper in our family, and if we do anything twice, she remembers and expects that we do it exactly the same way, every year, forever. Last year for Father’s Day we children cooked up a feast of Guinness-battered fish and chips served wrapped in newspaper and a heaping mound of smashed peas. This year, Vietnamese food! I think we’re roped into a tradition of ethnic food on Father’s Day, but the three of us have such a good time cooking together that I don’t think I’ll mind keeping this one.

Each of us kids picked a traditional Vietnamese dish, and all three were unified by a central dipping sauce, which created cohesive flavor. I chose to make spring rolls, since this winter I went on a bit of an egg roll kick, and recently learned to make Japanese pork dumplings, but had never worked with the rice wrappers used in this recipe.

Let’s be frank: Spring rolls seem like a lot of work, especially when your local takeout joint probably delivers to your door in a fraction of the time it takes to make them yourself. However, I can now say from experience that takeout can’t complete with the complex flavor, the freshness of the ingredients in a homemade spring roll. And, even though I’m usually happy to give up an entire afternoon to prepare something more easily bought for the sake of doing it all by myself, I am happy to say that you won’t have to slave over these spring rolls. This is a fuss-free appetizer that can be thrown together fairly quickly and looks really impressive. The ingredients are not obscure, either - I didn’t have to visit a specialty store to find any of them.

The dipping sauce is sweet and sour and spicy all at once, and even works as a salad dressing (we tossed some cabbage in it with a bit of fresh mint and cilantro)! I feel like making tons of it and making it a staple on the condiment shelf of my fridge. My whole family was practically drinking the leftovers off their plates; we were sucking it off our fingers all night long (yes, it’s so good that you’ll forget all about manners)!

Pork Springs Rolls (adapted from Saveur)

• 2 ounces rice stick noodles
• 1/2 ounce dried wood ear mushrooms
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 egg
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 20 round (or 40 triangular) rice paper wrappers 
• vegetable oil for frying

1. Soak rice stick noodles and dried mushrooms in hot water until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain well and finely chop. Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel and grate the carrot. 

2. Combine noodles, mushrooms, pork, onions and grated carrot in a medium bowl. Mix until well combined. Stir in egg and season with salt and pepper.

3. Soak wrappers, one at a time, in a bowl of hot water until soft and workable, about 15-30 seconds. Transfer to a clean tea towel and pat dry with a second towel. If using round wrappers, cut in half. On each half (or whole if using triangular wrappers), with the rounded side facing you, place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling on the center of the wrapper. Fold the long, straight edge over the filling and then fold in sides before rolling tight. It’s very important to roll tightly or the rolls will come undone while frying. Keep a little rice vinegar in a bowl to dip your fingers into in case the wrappers get sticky, but avoid using too much or they won’t stay sealed. Place finished rolls on a plate or cutting board.

4. Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high head. You’re not deep-frying the rolls, so the pan only needs to be well coated in oil. Fry rolls in batches, turning frequently to brown all sides evenly, until crisp and golden. Cooking time will vary depending on the pan you use. Transfer finished spring rolls to paper towels or a rack to drain. Serve with nuoc cham dipping sauce. Makes 40 small rolls. 

Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce (adapted from Saveur)

• 1/2 cup Vietnamese fish sauce
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
• 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar

1. Peel and mince garlic. Whisk lime juice and sugar together in a bowl until sugar is well integrated. Add other ingredients and whisk. If possible, allow to sit for a couple of hours before serving to allow flavors to mingle.