Vietnam’s Best Rice Paper Rolls

By Lee Price on April 18, 2013 in Food

Regulars on any Vietnamese menu, rice paper rolls are a fun alternative to a sandwich or salad.

Packed with crunch and flavour, these little rolls are perfect for a light lunch, to pop into a lunch box, or to serve as an appetiser.

They are very low in calories, fat and sugar and are also a great way to use up leftovers.

Feel free to tweak them to your own tastes, but a word of warning: don’t over stuff them or you will end up in a bit of a mess!

Once you’ve got the hang of rolling your own, why not try some other combos? Here are a few of my favourites:

– Chicken, satay sauce, lemongrass, basil and lime juice
– Tofu, mushroom, shallots
– Duck, mango, Thai basil, mint, red onion
– Pork, ginger, carrot, onion, coriander and mint
– Beef, garlic, mint, pineapple and vermicelli noodles

Ingredients:
8 rice paper wrappers
1 cup shredded barbecue chicken
1/2 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
3/4 cup (50g) bean sprouts, trimmed
1 small carrot, peeled, grated
1 medium Lebanese cucumber, peeled, cut into ribbons
1 medium avocado, peeled, cut into eight strips
1 small bunch of coriander
Sweet chilli sauce, to serve

Method:
1. Half fill a large bowl with warm water. One by one, dip the rice paper wrappers in water, then place on a damp tea towel for 30 seconds before filling.
2. Place one-eighth of the lettuce along one edge of the wrapper. Top with one-eighth of each of the chicken, bean sprouts, carrot, cucumber, coriander and avocado.
3. Fold in at the ends and then roll up firmly to close. You might tear a few to being with but after a little bit of practice you’ll be rolling like a pro.
4. When finished, cover the roll with a damp tea towel to prevent it from drying out.
5. Repeat with remaining wrappers, placing each under the damp towel when it’s finished.
6. Serve with sweet chilli dipping sauce and try not to eat them all at once.

Have you got a great recipe that you would like to share? Send it through to operationjamjar@y7mail.com and you could see it in a future issue of The Beast. For more recipes and thrifty cooking ideas visit operationjamjar.blogspot.com.