Rice Paper Rolls with Hoisin Dipping Sauce

These rice paper rolls or summer rolls as they call them in the states are a perfect way to use up those little bits and pieces you have lying around in your fridge. Leftover roast chicken, pork or duck, those last cooked prawns that didn’t get eaten the night before or even tofu. The hoisin dipping sauce is a game changer, everyone I have ever served it too has loved it and they can’t believe what the secret/strange ingredient is. Don’t just use my list of ingredients for the rice paper rolls, avocado, red capsicum, spring onion are all great additions

Ingredients

For the dipping sauce

• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar (30ml)
• Chopped nuts (optional)
• Red chilli, chopped (optional)

For the rice paper rolls

• Rice paper wrappers
• Dry vermicelli rice noodles, cooked to packet instructions, about 150gm
• Cooked protein of choice ie chicken, pork, prawns
• Cucumber, cut into matchsticks
• Carrot, cut into matchsticks
• Shredded iceberg lettuce
• Fresh herbs of choice ie mint, coriander, basil

Directions

For the sauce, combine the ingredients thoroughly in a small saucepan. Then heat over medium heat until the sauce nearly comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and let cool.

When cool top with the chopped nuts and chilli if using.

For the rice paper rolls, prep all your ingredient first as the soaked rice paper doesn’t like sitting around for anyone.

This is the best little tool for cutting the carrot nice and finely. Just be careful of your fingers!

Fill a shallow bowl with water. Soak one rice paper wrapper in the water for 30 – 45 seconds, until pliable. If the wrapper doesn’t seem pliable enough dip briefly in the water again. Transfer the wrapper onto a clean, quite damp tea towel.

Arrange the filling along the bottom third of the wrapper. Tear off a small amount of noodles, add 4-5 pieces of cucumber, a small amount of carrot, a couple of pieces of chicken and so on. It’s just important not to overfill or they will be too hard to roll.

Fold the wrapper over the filling and start rolling it up. About halfway through the roll, fold in the sides, then finish rolling until you have tight roll.

Move to a clean platter, seam side down and cover with damp paper towel or another clean damp tea towel. Repeat until you have used up all your ingredients.

The rice paper are best eaten straight away but can be kept fresh under the damp paper towel or tea towel for an hour or two. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think of the dipping sauce if you give it a try. Enjoy. Sheryl x