Healthy, quick to prepare and light enough for those warm summer evenings Vietnamese rice paper rolls are great for a weeknight dinner or entertaining.
They can be made up to 4 hours ahead, just wrap them in plastic to prevent them from drying out. Or for a dinner with a difference (or if you’re short on time), invite guests to DIY to suit their tastes and dietary requirements!
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 100gm vermicelli noodles
- 10 cooked prawns, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup each coarsely chopped coriander and mint
- ½ continental cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
- 10 rice paper wrappers
- 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
- 5 oak leaf lettuce leaves, halved (can be substituted for whatever lettuce and cabbage you have on hand)
To serve: Vietnamese mint (optional)
Dipping sauce
- 1 small garlic clove, chopped
- 30 gm light palm sugar, crushed
- 90 ml lime juice
- 75 ml fish sauce
- 2 small red chillies, thinly sliced
Method
- Prepare vermicelli noodles as per the instructions on the packet, then cut into rough 10cm lengths with scissors and place in a bowl. Add prawns, coriander, mint and cucumber, season to taste and set aside.
- For dipping sauce, pound garlic in a mortar and pestle to a paste, pound in palm sugar to combine, then stir in remaining ingredients and set aside.
- Fill a large bowl with hot water. Working with a wrapper at a time, submerge wrapper in water to soften (10-30 seconds), then transfer to a clean damp tea towel or damp plate. Working quickly, spoon about 1/4-cup prawn mixture along the centre of the wrapper, add half an oak lettuce leaf and some spring onion, fold in ends, then roll to form a sealed cylinder. Place on a tray lined with baking paper and cover with a damp tea towel. Serve with dipping sauce and Vietnamese mint.
Tip: Experiment with different salad ingredients and switching out the protein depending on what you have on hand and your preferences. To make prep even quicker, try using a pre-cooked BBQ chicken!
Sources: Gourmet Traveller
