QUINOA CHICKEN RICE PAPER ROLLS

A lovely friend of mine fed these rice paper rolls to me the other weekend and I have not been able to stop thinking of them since, therefore I made my own version of them. I love the twist Collette has put on this traditional light Vietnamese meal, by adding quinoa and oven baked pumpkin to pump up the fillings. You can use skinless bbq chicken if you prefer this to poaching chicken breast and can choose to leave out the quinoa if you want to make this meal more low-carb. If you are vegetarian add the quinoa and some thinly sliced avocado. This is a such a light, fresh lunch or dinner that I can see myself making it for many, many years to come. 

Ingredients

• baking paper 
• 300g pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into 2cm pieces 
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 250g cooked chicken, skin removed or 250g chicken breast 
• 1/3 cup white quinoa
• 12 rice paper round sheets
• 1 Lebanese cucumber, cut into thin sticks
• 2 generous handfuls of baby spinach or green lettuce
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• Optional- 2 handfuls of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• Dipping sauce - hoisin sauce or sweet chilli sauce 

Cooking 

1. Preheat a fan forced oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Toss the pumpkin and oil in a medium bowl to combine, then place the pumpkin in a single layer on the tray. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender.

2. If you are using cooked chicken, ignore this step. If you are not using cooked chicken, you will need to poach the chicken breast. Whilst the quinoa is cooking, place the chicken breast in a small to medium saucepan. Bring to the boil, covered, then simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the stove and let the saucepan stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove the poached chicken from the pan and leave to cool for a few minutes before 'shredding' the chicken (I do this with 2 forks and pull in separate directions, as you would when 'pulling' pork). Discard the poaching liquid. 

3. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly, twice, with your hands and strain through a sieve. Bring the quinoa to boil in a small to medium saucepan over high heat with 1 cup water, covered. Once boiled, lower to a simmer and continue to cook, covered, until all the water is absorbed, around 6 minutes. 

4. Once the pumpkin, chicken and quinoa are cooked, pour boiling hot water into a medium bowl. Lay the rice paper sheets next to the water. Place your cool fillings; cucumber, lettuce, shallots, coriander (if using) on a plate next to your cooked fillings. You are now ready to make your rice paper rolls! 

5. Soften each rice paper sheet by individually dipping it 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. 

6. 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 no rice paper sheets remain (the ingredients should make 12 rice paper rolls comfortably). 

Serve with one of the dipping sauces mentioned and enjoy. 

Makes / 12  / Serves 4 = 3 rice paper rolls each 
Total Prep & Cooking time / around 45 minutes 

x Emily 

VIETNAMESE GRATED & SHREDDED SALAD

This is the type of food that I love to eat. Fresh, filled with vegetables and light. My family often jokes that I (and most of them) were Asian in a past life as we could eat Vietnamese and Japanese cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The idea for this grated / shredded salad was born from the Sarah Wilson 'I Quit Sugar for Life'. She has dedicated 2 pages to grated salads and I thought to myself 'what a great idea; I can feed these types of salads to Chris (my fiancé) without him really catching on that they are in fact salads, due to the various textures and potential for meat in the dishes. If you are looking for a heartier meal, toss in some rice vermicelli noodles. 

Ingredients

Salad

• 2 x 250g (or similar size) chicken breasts
• 3 cups finely shredded red cabbage
• 2 cups finely shredded wombok
• 2 medium carrots, finely grated
• 3 tablespoons white sesame seeds
• Optional- a generous handful of finely chopped coriander, mint, chives and/or green shallots

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• the juice of 1 large lime
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed 
• 2 tablespoons water

Cooking

1. Place the chicken breasts in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, covered, then simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the stove and let the saucepan stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove the poached chicken from the pan and leave to cool for a few minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. 

3. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into small pieces. 

4. Combine the chicken pieces, cabbage, wombok, carrot, sesame seeds and herbs if using in a large serving bowl. Drizzle the dressing on top and toss well to combine. 

Serves / 4 as a light meal

Total Preparation time / 10 - 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 25 minutes approx. 

x Emily 

SAN CHOY BAU

I have missed my kitchen beyond belief over the past 7 months that I have been renovating my new digs. And my new kitchen does not disappoint. Beautiful off-white shaker cabinets and vintage black handles have greeted me the past few days since we have moved in. Several metres of ultra-clean ‘midnight’ benchtop not only beckons to be used, but longs for me to make a mess on it. So I have been busy in my kitchen instead of focusing on the boring task of unpacking boxes labeled ‘knick knacks’ and ‘lots of shit’ (thanks Chris for doing such a good job packing). I made San Choy Bau several times over the past few months whilst living with my in-laws and I have had lots of practice to perfect the sauce and ingredients. I usually like to add some cooked rice vermicelli noodles into the mix with the cooked meat to add some healthy carbs to the recipe. Sesame seeds are optional but really add some extra flavour to this dish and using both white & black seeds is a very pleasant experience. I’m off back to my black & white sanctuary of a kitchen to make muffins now. Have a wonderful night everyone and I hope you love your kitchens half as much as me. 
P.S- if you are looking to carb this recipe up a big add 100g rice vermicelli noodles. If going vegetarian, omit the mince for tofu and instead of adding the fish sauce to the dressing, add 1 teaspoon sesame oil instead or go without. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon rice bran oil / sesame oil 
• 2 green shallots, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes 
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
• 500g extra lean pork, chicken or beef mince
• 200 - 250g bean sprouts and / or 200g green beans, trimmed & roughly chopped 
• 1 Lebanese cucumber or 150g continental cucumber, cut into small pieces
• A whole iceberg lettuce, leaves carefully separated into cup shapes 
• Optional - fresh coriander leaves, to serve 

Sauce

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce (gluten-free if possible)
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• the juice of 1 large lime
• water
• 1 tablespoon (tbs) white sesame seeds & 1 tbs black sesame seeds (or 2 tbs of whichever you have)

COOKING 

1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat and add shallots, chilli and garlic. Stir for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the mince and cook, breaking up any lumps of meat with a strong spoon / spatula. When meat is cooked, that is, it has changed colour and appeared to be cooked, turn off the stove. (If not 100% sure that the meat is cooked, leave the mince on the stove and cover, so it can cook while it rests). 

2. Prepare the sauce by combining all the ingredients and adding a teaspoon of water at a time, tasting the sauce each time. (You do not want the sauce too watery however you want to thin out the sauce so that you have enough!). 

3. Combine the bean sprouts / green beans and cucumber in a large serving bowl. Add the cooked meat to the bowl and toss. Pour 1/2 -3/4 of the sauce over the top of the meat and toss well to combine. Heap each lettuce cup with a big spoonful of the meat mixture and top with more sauce, more green shallots and fresh coriander, if desired. 

Total Preparation time / 15-20 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 15 minutes 

Serves / 4 

x Emily 

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 

BAHN XEO - VIETNAMESE PANCAKE

This Vietnamese Pancake stands out for me, as it is one of the most creative and mind-blowing dishes I have ever made. This Banh Xeo is also the most colourful dish I have ever prepared, as you can see by the vibrant hues in the photo above.  Whilst you would think that the preparation and cooking would be quite arduous, it was actually surprisingly fun, as you knew that the end result would be unlike anything else you had created. Traditionally, these pancakes are served with fatty pork and prawns as a filling, however I omitted the pork, not being a raving fan of this meat myself. You can make a vegetarian version of the dish by simply removing the prawns from the ingredient list. Thanks to chef Yotam Ottolenghi for this imaginative and inspiring recipe! 

INGREDIENTS

Pancakes

• 200g rice flour
• 1 egg, preferably free range
• 400ml light coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• sesame oil
• Optional - water & sea salt 

Sauce 

• 1/8 teaspoon chilli flakes
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce or tamari sauce

Filling

• 2 medium carrots, peeled & cut into matchsticks (small, thin pieces)
• 1 medium lebanese cucumber, cut into matchsticks
• 3 spring onions, cut into small pieces on an angle
• 1 cup red cabbage, finely shredded
• 200g bean sprouts
• 2 tablespoons fresh coriander or fresh mint, finely chopped
• 200g cooked & defined prawns, with tails removed (marinated with 1 finely chopped garlic clove & 1 teaspoon sesame oil)

COOKING 

1. To make the pancake batter, combine the rice flour, egg, turmeric and a pinch of sea salt in a large bowl. Gradually add the coconut milk, whisking well so no lumps of flour exist. We are aiming for a very thin, runny batter, therefore slowly add water if all the coconut milk has been used and the batter is not at this consistency (you may find that the batter will thicken slightly through the preparation stages, therefore you may need to add more water right before step 3). Set aside. 

2. To make the sauce, whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Add more chilli if you like or remove completely if you do not like any spice. 

3. Before making the pancakes, check if you need to add any more liquid to the batter (refer to step 1). Heat a small amount of sesame oil over medium heat in a non-stick frying pan of around 20-22cm in diameter. Pour in one-quarter of the batter and swirl around the pan so that the consistency between the edges and the centre of the pancake are as even as can be. Once a substantial amount of air bubbles have appeared on the surface of the batter (this will take around 2 minutes of cooking time) very gently flip the pancake over and cook the other side for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the pan and cover the pancake to keep warm as you repeat this process with the remaining batter to make four pancakes in total. 

4. Meanwhile, using a small frying pan over medium heat, add the prawns and the marinade and cook for 4 minutes or until prawns are pink in colour. Remove from heat and set aside. 

5. Place a warm pancake on each serving plate and place the filling you desire (carrot, cucumber, red cabbage, spring onions, bean sprouts, herbs and/or prawns) in the middle of the pancake, leaving some space on the edges of the pancake. Drizzle with sauce and fold the edges of the pancake over so you can pick it up. Serve with remaining sauce on the side to use as a dipping sauce for the pancake. 

Serves / 2 as a main meal or 4 as a light meal

Total Preparation time / 20 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 25 minutes 

x E