Tonight was a journey into the unknown as we prepared a Vietnamese inspired summer roll for dinner.  The dish is  a blend of South East Asian flavours (primarily Chinese) wrapped in a rice paper roll.  We came across the rice paper on one of our shopping trips to Wing Yip (a large Oriental supermarket in Croydon) and finally got to use it tonight.  We are hooked and will experiment a bit more with different fillings – we think once you have tried Vietnamese style rolls you will reconsider traditional fried spring rolls.

What do I need to make it?

• 1 medium onion
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1/2 red pepper
• 2 sticks of celery
• 6-8 closed cup mushrooms
• 50 gms sweet corn
• 1 small courgette
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1″ piece of ginger minced
• 1/2 tsp crushed red chilli
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp Shaosin wine
• 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp spiced black rice vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• Small handful of chopped coriander
• Salt to taste

For the garnish

• Small handful of basil finely chopped
• 3-4 sprigs of spring onion chopped
• 4-5 leaves of lettuce shredded
• 8 Vietnamese rice papers
• Thai sweet chilli sauce to taste
• Chinese red chilli sauce to taste

How much will I make?

8 summer rolls

How do I make it?

Chop all the ingredients into even sized pieces.  Heat oil in a pan and add the ginger, garlic and crushed red chillies.  Stir fry for 30 seconds before adding the peppers, onions and celery.  Cook for 5 minutes before adding the remaining vegetables.  Cook till done and then add the soy sauce, rice vinegars, rice wine and toasted sesame oil.   Adjust the seasoning and then add the chopped coriander.   Switch off the heat and keep mixture aside.

Soak the rice paper in warm water for a couple of seconds and once soft layer with lettuce, a pinch of the basil, spring onion and a tablespoon and a half of the cooked mixture.  Drizzle a little Thai sweet chilli sauce and Chinese red chilli sauce – wrap – enjoy.