[annietomatomad]

Hi Angelique,

Originally Posted by angelique

Thank you for all of the wonderful advice. I'll definitely follow your advice. Is shiso grown as a Fall or Summer herb in CA? I think I remember seeing grown in the Fall.
I am almost sure it's a summer herb. I confess I've not had too much success growing it so I just go to the Asian grocery store and get a bunch when I need some. But don't feel limited to these herbs. The great thing about these Vietnamese rolls is that you can experiment and use almost any herb you like.

I absolutely love Jasmine rice. I college, I had a Vietnamese roomate who made it all of the time. I especially loved left over jasmine rice in homemade fried rice (made with Maggi (thick soy sauce), garlic, green onions, fried eggs, peas, carrots and cooked Chinese sausage).
You know, I grew up eating Jasmine rice too. And fried rice is definitely wonderful for leftover rice. As a matter of face, a friend of mine will not cook fried rice with freshly cooked rice. And my mother also used to advice me to cook fried rice with day old rice. Made it drier and fluffier when fried I guess.

Of late however, I've been doing more brown and basmati rice ever since I became diabetic. Jasmine rice has one of the highest glycemic counts for rice! sigh... Basmati is one of the lowest--how about that, huh?

I also love Hmong sticky rice (totally different than the Japanese version). I don't know where to buy this rice, nor do I know how to prepare it.
I don't know Hmong sticky rice but if it's anything like Thai/South East Asia sticky rice, I know what you're talking about. They are certainly yummy! Again, very much in small moderations for me now...

My Thai basil is going really well in my yard. If I have a lot of extras, I'll try to remember to bring some to the NORCATT event (if I make it) for you.

Cheers, Annie