Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls Recipes

VIETNAMESE RICE PAPER ROLLS

Steps:

• For each dipping sauce, whisk all ingredients together.
• Cook the noodles according to the packet directions. While doing this, prep the veges - chop them into matchstick size pieces.
• Chop the fresh herbs and mix them in with the noodles.
• Prepare the rolling surface - I like to make my rolls on a clean, damp tea towel as the paper can be delicate and they don't tend to stick to the tea towel.
• Prepare the wrapper - take a bowl large enough to fit a rice paper wrapper in, and fill it with lukewarm water. Take 1 rice paper wrapper and soak it in the water for about 30 seconds until it starts to feel soft. Remove from the water and place on the prepared tea towel or other flat surface e.g. a chopping board.
• Fill the wrapper - add noodles, veges and meat (if using) to the bottom third of the wrapper.
• Roll it - just like a burrito - fold the bottom over the fillings, fold in the sides and then roll it up tight
• Repeat with remaining rice paper wrappers.
• Serve with dipping sauces. Any leftover rolls, store in the fridge for a couple of days, but they are best eaten that day.

VIETNAMESE RICE PAPER ROLLS

Steps:

• Pop your vermicelli noodles into a large bowl and soak them in boiling water for 5 minutes.
• Pour some lukewarm water in a large, deep bowl - make sure it's deep enough for softening your rice paper.
• Next, slice your prawns in half and devein them if this hasn't already been done.
• Finally, drain the vermicelli and place all the ingredients on the table. Now you're ready to roll!
• Take a rice paper wrapper and rotate it in the warm water until all surface areas have been covered.
• Pop it on your plate and top with lettuce, mint and vermicelli on the edge closest to you, then pop the prawns about 2-3cm closer to the top edge.
• Now grab the bottom of the rice paper and roll it over the greens. Tuck in both sides and continue rolling up the rest of the way.
• That's it! All that's left is to dip it in your delicious peanut hoisin sauce or nuoc mam cham and eat. Yum!

VIETNAMESE RICE PAPER ROLLS

Steps:

• Clean the shrimps. Place the shrimp in a shallow pan with some boiling water just sufficient to cover the shrimps. Add a teaspoon of salt. Place the shrimps in the pan over low to medium heat to cook the shrimp until it changes to pink and no longer translucent. Remove the shell.
• Soak the rice vermicelli in hot water Once it is al dente, drain a place it in cold water to stop cooking. Drain, and it is ready to use.
• Submerge the rice paper fully into the water for five seconds just before wrapping. Remove and pat dry.
• Cut the carrots and cucumbers into matchsticks.
• Choose a piece of lettuce with the length about 2/3 of the diameter of the rice paper. Place the carrot, cucumber and rice vermicelli on it.
• Place the vegetable and the basil, coriander, and mint on the rice paper, slightly off-centered towards you, and leave about one inch clear from the side.
• Place the scallion horizontally towards the edge of the rice paper and the halved prawns on the other half of the rice paper away from you in the horizontal line.
• Fold the sides in over it, like closing an envelope. Then continue rolling away from you to wrap up the scallion, and the shrimps.
• Mix the water, sugar, lime juice, and fish sauce until the sugar dissolved.
• Add the minced garlic and finely chopped chili.
• Saute the garlic with the vegetable oil.
• Add the remaining ingredients.
• Reduce the liquid to the desired thickness.

VIETNAMESE RICE PAPER ROLLS (SPRING ROLLS)

Steps:

• Peanut Sauce: Combine the Peanut Dipping Sauce ingredients. Mix briefly (it won't come together), then microwave for 30 seconds. Mix again until smooth. Set aside to cool. Adjust sour with vinegar, salt with salt and spiciness to taste. Thickness can be adjusted with milk or water once cooled.
• Place vermicelli noodles in a bowl and cover with warm water for 2 minutes, then drain (or follow packet instructions).
• Peel the prawns, slice in half lengthwise and devein (watch video).
• Remove the crunchy core of the lettuce leaves (watch video).
• Tip - LETTUCE BUNDLE (Note 4): Place some vermicelli noodles and bean sprouts in a lettuce leaf, then roll it up, finishing seam side down. Repeat.
• Fill a large bowl with warm water. The bowl doesn't need to be large enough to fit the whole rice paper in one go.
• Place two rice papers together (if using 2). Note which side is the smooth side - this is supposed to be the outside of the spring roll. Submerge the rice papers into the water (both of them at the same time, together) for 2 seconds. If your bowl isn't large enough to fit the whole rice paper in one go, that's fine, just rotate it and count 2 seconds for each section you submerge into the water.
• Place both the rice papers (one on top of the other, they will stick together) on a board or the counter with the smooth side down.
• On the top part of the rice paper, place 3 prawns with a mint leaf in between, as per the photo below.
• Place the lettuce bundle with the seam side down onto the middle of the rice paper.
• Fold the left and right edges of the rice paper in, then starting from the bottom, roll up to cover the lettuce bundle. Then keep rolling firmly. The rice paper is sticky, it will seal itself.
• If you placed the ingredients on the rice paper as per the photo below, your rice paper rolls should look pretty with the prawn and mint leaves on the smooth side of the roll and the seam on the side or underside of the roll.
• Serve immediately with the peanut dipping sauce.

VIETNAMESE PRAWN SUMMER ROLLS

Steps:

• Make the dipping sauce by pounding the garlic, chilli, ginger and sugar together using a pestle and mortar, then stir in the fish sauce and lime juice. Alternatively, just blitz everything together in a mini blender.
• Soak the rice noodles in a bowl of hot water for 15 mins, then drain well. Assemble all the prepared filling ingredients - once you start, you will need everything to hand.
• When you are ready to make the rolls, dip one of the rice papers in a bowl of hot water, moving it around until the whole wrapper is soft - about 10-15 secs - then drain on a tea towel.
• Place a rice paper wrapper on a board and at one edge of the wrapper, add a few mint leaves, then three prawn halves.
• Place some lettuce on top of the prawns, followed by some noodles, a few strips of carrot and cucumber, some more herbs and finally some beansprouts. Don't overfill the pancakes or they will be hard to roll.
• Lift the edge of the rice paper wrapper nearest to you over the filling and, holding the filling in position with your fingers, start rolling up tightly.
• When you're about halfway, fold the ends of the rice paper in and over the filling so that it is completely enclosed.
• Keep on rolling tightly until the whole rice paper wrapper is rolled up. To serve, cut the rolls in half on the diagonal.

VIETNAMESE FRESH SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Boil rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes, or until al dente, and drain.
• Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the hot water for 1 second to soften. Lay wrapper flat. In a row across the center, place 2 shrimp halves, a handful of vermicelli, basil, mint, cilantro and lettuce, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on each side. Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end with the lettuce. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
• In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili sauce.
• In another small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce and peanuts.
• Serve rolled spring rolls with the fish sauce and hoisin sauce mixtures.