Vietnamese spring rolls with prawn, nasturtium and mint

Makes 24 Starters and mains

Vietnamese Rolls

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Ingredients

  • 24 Vietnamese rice paper sheets, 25cm in diameter
  • 24 mint leaves
  • 24 unsprayed nasturtium petals, or petals from other edible flowers
  • 24 cooked prawns

For the filling

  • 225g rice vermicelli noodles
  • 1 large carrot, grated
  • 100g hard 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
  • 25ml Thai dressing

For the Thai dressing (makes 3 litres)

  • 1 litre sweet chilli sauce
  • 500ml kecap manis
  • 200ml fish sauce
  • 20ml sesame oil
  • 500ml vegetable oil
  • 500ml lemon juice
  • 100ml mirin
  • 1 lemongrass stem, white part only, chopped
  • 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 bunch mint, leaves picked, stalks discarded
  • 1 bunch coriander, roots, stalks and leaves chopped
  • 5 kaffir lime leaves, chopped

To serve

  • Thai dressing
  • lime wedges

Method

To make the Thai dressing, place all of the ingredients in a food processor and whiz until smooth. Pour into sterilised bottles and seal. This dressing can be stored in the pantry but should be refrigerated after opening. It will keep indefinitely.

For the spring rolls, start by making the filling. Put the noodles in a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, then drain into a colander. Run under cold water to stop them cooking any further, drain well, then leave in the colander to dry out. When the noodles are dry, combine the rest of the filling ingredients in a bowl.

To assemble the rolls, have a large bowl of hot water ready and make sure your bench is clean and dry. Soak the rice paper in the water, one at a time, for 30 seconds, or until just soft, and place on your bench; it’s best to work in small manageable amounts, say five rolls at a time.

Place a mint leaf and a nasturtium petal one-quarter of the way from the top of each 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 by about 1cm, then roll up firmly to enclose the filling. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve with the Thai dressing as a dipping sauce and lime wedges.

Recipes and Photographs taken from In the Kitchen by Simmone Logue, Photography by Ben Dearnley. (Murdoch books, £17.99).
Vietnamese Rolls
Recipes and Photographs taken from In the Kitchen by Simmone Logue, Photography by Ben Dearnley. (Murdoch books, £17.99).

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