Instructions: Egg rolls are treated with little respect - here.

Found in the cold depths of the supermarkets frozen case, next to the cryogenic pizza nuggets, egg rolls jostle around uninspiringly inside a cardboard box. At home, the box of egg rolls will linger inside the family freezer until some put-upon, deeply hungry individual spies it, tosses a couple of egg rolls onto a cookie sheet and shovels it into the oven. The frozen egg roll does not speak well for its kind.

But in the hands of a chef who treats Asian food with deserved respect, egg rolls and their thinner-skinned cousins, spring rolls, are objects of culinary beauty. A bite through a crisp rice wrapper, the textural pull of fresh bean sprouts and a flash of fiery chili sauce can make cymbals clang and brocade shimmer on a jaded palate.

Egg rolls are not an "at home" dish in Vietnam. They are labor-intensive, and the oil used for frying is expensive. And because few people have refrigeration, its not a dish that can be made ahead and held. So, reserved for holidays or restaurant meals, these little jewels are treasured.

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