The perfect picnic fodder – or “Vietnamese Surf ‘n’ Turf”, as Jessica puts it.
There are few foods that rival the fresh, fatty, sweetness of the traditional Vietnamese rice paper roll. Super versatile, cheap and finger-licking good, the rice paper roll is a snack that can be enjoyed at any time and in any setting, as our good friend and expert home cook Jessica Nguyen attests: “In the words of Shakira, whenever, wherever! I’ve rolled these as a lunch/dinner party starter, I’ve packed these for picnics, I’ve served these for dinner, where you wrap them at the table and eat them as you roll.”
While they look fairly simple to make, rolling them up and choosing the right filler ingredients can be tricky, so, naturally, we asked the master cook and absolute delight for her recipe and a cheeky wine to pair it with as well.
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“Think of it as a Vietnamese Surf ‘n’ Turf,” Jessica explains. “The pork belly gives it the fat and richness, the prawn makes it sweet and the rice paper rolls are filled with lots of fresh herbs – like Vietnamese mint, coriander and garlic chives – cucumber and lettuce.”
Excuse us while we salivate vicariously over here. To pair, Jessica has recommended the cheap and cheerful Queen Snapper Semillon Sauvignon Blanc. “It’s well balanced, with subtle citrus and fresh, vibrant tropical fruit flavours and a touch of the herbaceous,” she offers. “I just think a citrusy, tropical white wine pairs perfectly with my rice paper rolls.”
Ingredients
500g of pork belly
Prawns, de-veined, peeled, cooked and halved
1 packet (375g) of rice paper 1 packet (400g) of rice vermicelli noodles 3 cucumbers, preferably Lebanese, sliced into batons 3 heads of cos lettuce 1 bunch of fresh mint, washed 1 bunch of Vietnamese mint, washed 1 bunch of coriander, washed 1 bunch of garlic chives 1 cup of Vietnamese dipping sauce (Nước chấm)
Method
Cook your pork belly by cooking in a pot of salted water on medium for about 20 minutes until fully cooked. Remove and place onto a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
Slice into fine pieces and set aside. Prepare your prawns by boiling in salted water for 5 minutes or until fully cooked and red. Drain and place into a bowl of ice water to stop from cooking further. Peel and devein the prawns and slice them in half lengthwise. Set aside. Prepare your greens. Wash your herbs, cucumbers and lettuce. Cut your cucumbers into batons with the skins on and separate your cos lettuce leaves. Place all onto a serving plate. Cook your vermicelli by placing it into a pot of boiling water and cook for about 4 minutes or until they are soft. Drain into a colander and run some hot water over them to remove any excess starch and to stop them from sticking to each other. Place onto a plate ready to serve. Pour your Vietnamese dipping sauce (Nước chấm) into small bowls, putting a few tablespoons in each, so that everyone has their own sauce bowl to dip into. Serve the greens, vermicelli, pork, prawns and rice paper with a bowl of hot water on your table. Roll and eat your rolls fresh as you go and enjoy! You can pre-assemble them on the day you eat them, but make sure you place a strip of baking paper in between each one so they don’t stick to each other. Cover with cling wrap so they don’t dry out and go chewy. Place into the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
How to assemble rice paper rolls
To roll rice paper rolls, simply dip the rice paper into a bowl of warm to hot water and then place onto your plate to soften for 30 seconds. Once the rice paper has softened, place down a lettuce cup, a handful of vermicelli, 1 cucumber baton and a handful of herbs. Add your pork on top. Then roll the rice paper away from you, tucking both ends in. Roll one over and then add 3 prawns facing outwards into the rice paper as well as 3-4 stalks of garlic chives. Continue to roll the rice paper until the end. Serve with Nuoc Cham sauce and enjoy.
