Vietnamese rolls with prawn and nasturtium
These rolls are so easy to make and what I love is you can use any left overs from the night before, such as steak, poached trout, prawns, roast chicken or pork. Jazz them up with some hoisin, avocado and pickled ginger….. fresh, light and delicious!!
You will need
24 round paper sheets 10” in diameter
24 mint leaves
24 nasturtium petals, or petals from other edible flowers
24 cooked prawns
Thai dressing to serve.
Lime wedges, to serve.
Filling ingredients
225 rice vermicelli noodles
1 large carrot , grated.
100 g firm tofu, grated.
1 bunch coriander leaves and stalks finely chopped.
1 bunch mint leaves picked and finely chopped.
6 spring onions finely chopped.
50g peanuts, toasted and chopped.
50g fried shallots (available from Asian stores)
25ml Thai dressing
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
Start by making the filling. Put the noodles in a saucepan , cover with cold water and bring to the simmer. Cook for 5 minutes then drain into a colander.
Run cold water over the noodles to stop them cooking and leave on the bench to dry.
When the noodles are dry, combine all the other filling ingredients in a large bowl. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
To assemble the rolls, have a large bowl of hot water ready and make sure your workbench is clean and dry. Soak the rice sheets in hot water one at a time for 30 seconds or until just soft, give them a gentle squeeze to remove excess water and place on your workbench.
Its best to work in manageable amounts, say five to six at a time. Place a mint leaf and a nasturtium petal one quarter of the way down from the top of the rice sheet. Place a prawn below the garnish.
Place a couple of tablespoons of the filling in the middle of each rice sheet. Bring the sides in crossing over about 1cm. Then roll up to firmly enclose the filling.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve with Thai dressing as a dipping sauce and lime wedges for squeezing over.
Thai dressing
2 cups sweet chilli sauce
1 cup kecap manis
½ cup fish sauce
1 cup lemon or lime juice
½ cup veg oil
¼ cup mirin
1 stick lemongrass, white bit only, chopped.
1 thumb – sized piece of ginger, peeled and chopped.
½ bunch mint, leaves picked, and stalks discarded.
½ bunch coriander, roots, stalks, and leaves, washed well then chopped.
2 garlic cloves
4 kaffir lime leaves chopped.
Method
Place all ingredients in a food processor and whizz until smooth.
Pour into sterilized bottles and seal. Dressing should be stored in your pantry in a cool room temperature but should be kept in the fridge after opening.