Hot weather and rice paper rolls

Posted by kathryn in Vegan, Salads and Main courses

When the hot weather hits I found myself craving rice paper rolls. When it’s 36°C and humid, the last thing I want is turn the oven or hot plates on. Which makes this recipe perfect.

We’ve been eating these a lot. I generally prepare the filling and dipping sauce, put the dried rice papers on a plate and put out a bowl of warm water. Then Richard and I can sit there, soaking and filling our rice papers and munching away, while catching up on each other’s day and lives.

I’ve been trialling a few different recipes, but my favourite combination at the moment is based on the rice paper filling from Chocolate & Zucchini and the dipping sauce from Fatfree Vegan.

This recipe takes about 15 minutes to prepare – the longest thing is soaking the shiitakes and it’s pretty darned healthy. This recipe makes enough for three to four people, depending on your appetite. The mixture is also fabulous the next day as a salad.

Rice paper rolls

There are a lot of ingredients, but don’t be put off, this is easy and quick to make. Serves 3 – 4.

• 1 cup dried shiitakes
• 150g rice vermicelli noodles
• 2 large carrots, grated
• 40 cm piece of cucumber (140g), grated
• 1 cup mint leaves, left whole
• 1 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• 300g tofu, cut into small pieces
• 1/3 cup peanuts, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons shoyu
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons vegetarian fish sauce
• Rice papers

Dipping sauce:

• 2 tablespoons ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 shallots, finely sliced
• 1 teaspoon miso
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon palm sugar

Soak the shiitakes: Pour boiling water over the shiitakes. Leave to soak for 10 minutes until they’re soft and then finely slice.

Cook the noodles: At the same time, cook the rice vermicelli noodles according to the packet instructions. Drain and refresh in cold water. Drain again and place in a bowl. Toss through the rice wine vinegar.

Finish off the filling: Drain the noodles again and place in a bowl with the carrot, cucumber, mint, coriander leaves, tofu, peanuts and sliced shiitakes. Mix these together and then add the shoyu, vinegar, sesame oil and fish sauce. Toss to combine.

Make the dressing: Mix together the dipping sauce ingredients in a separate bowl.

To serve: Soak the dried rice papers in a bowl of warm water, until completely softened. On your plate add a couple of spoonfuls of the noodle mixture to the middle of the rice paper and wrap up tightly. Fold the edge of the rice paper closest to you over the filling, then fold each side towards the centre, before rolling up as tightly as possible, without ripping the wrapper. Dip in the sauce and eat immediately.

02 February, 2007