VIETNAMESE RICE PAPER ROLLS

Vietnamese cuisine would have to be one of my favourite cuisines to eat. It never fails to be light, refreshing and scrumptious. I love making my own rice vermicelli bowls and rice paper rolls at home. Here is my standard rice paper roll recipe, with a few tips of how to structure these wholesome rolls, of course. I am a very white girl and therefore wrapping these rolls does not come easy to me, but I've learnt a few things from trial & error (and friends!). I've also learnt that whilst hoisin dipping sauce may taste amazing with rice paper rolls, it is FULL of sugar, so I make my own dipping sauce (below). 

INGREDIENTS

• 100g rice vermicelli noodles
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil 
• 500g chicken breast, preferably free range, cut into thin even slices 
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce 
• 1/2 a large ripe avocado, thinly sliced
• fresh lemon juice (gently squeeze on avocado slices to avoid browning)
• 1 medium lebanese cucumber or 1/2 continental cucumber, cut into fine sticks 
• 1 medium carrot, cut into fine sticks 
• 1 green capsicum, deseeded & core removed, cut into fine sticks 
• 3 spring onions, roughly chopped
• a handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped or intact 
• 12 large rice paper sheets

Dipping sauce 

• juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
• Optional- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds (if not available, substitute for more white sesame seeds)

COOKING

1. Soak noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes or until tender. Drain noodles well with cold water. 

2. Meanwhile, heat a medium frying pan over medium-high heat and swirl 1 teaspoon sesame oil to coat pan. When the pan is hot add the chicken and the fish sauce. Stir frequently, for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked. Remove from the heat. 

3. Arrange the avocado (make sure you have drizzled lemon juice on top), cucumber, carrot, capsicum, spring onion and coriander on a large plate. 

4. Prepare a deep medium bowl with hot water. Soften each rice paper sheet by individually dipping in the water and rotating the sheet with your fingers for one rotation only; the paper will feel moderately wet but not completely softened. The consistently of the rice paper should be pliable and slightly tacky. Have a flat surface such as a large clean plate or your bench top to place the paper. Just work with one softened rice paper sheet at a time, as it is much less fiddly. 

5. To wrap - I use the Two End Method. Centre the ingredients vertically, using 1/12 of all of the above ingredients, and position them about 4cm from the lower edge of the rice paper. Bring the lower and upper edge of the paper up towards the filling, then roll up the rice paper from one side to the other (I roll from left to right) and seal. Continue until no ingredients and rice paper remains. 

6. Combine all the dipping sauce ingredients and stir to combine. 

Serve with extra coriander & spring onions, if you wish.  

Makes / 12 large rice paper rolls / 3 each / serves 4 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking / Rolling time / 30-45 minutes 

x Emily