Viet Chicken Salad Rice Paper (Rock'n') Rolls

What a magic Saturday it has been... a stunning 30 degree day, 2 birthday parties with gorgeous friends, great catch-ups and new faces.  We consumed far too much chocolate birthday cake /raspberriesbrownies /cupcakes / homemade yo-yo’s..(the list goes on...!). The need for fresh+raw+green was quite apparent in our household tonight as the sugar highs peaked at about 5pm and then came crashing down along with our energy levels by about 6pm. There really is something to be said for a getting a good dose of fresh veg into you to lift your spirits and awaken the senses again. (Those nutritionist do know what they are talking about) Tonight’s fresh, fast and incredibly delicious dinner is a Chicken Viet Salad Rice Paper rolls. Again, I’m combining two different meals I love into one because I want the best of both worlds, and because I can! I’m a big fan of a shredded chicken Vietnamese Salad, with its crunch and lightly pickled raw veg. I also love a freshly rolled rice paper roll of any description, whether its  with prawns, pork, roast duck (now I have your attention!) or chicken... always good. This recipe takes the fresh, lightly pickled flavours of a Viet chicken salad and wraps it up in rice paper, served with a dipping sauce. Trust me, they may look a bit fiddly, but they are so easy, and oh so quick.  Did I mention how ridiculously enjoyable they were? Enjoy with your own variations of fillings or keep as vego.

All prepped and done ready to eat in under 30 min. Makes 10 big rice paper rolls, serves 3 – 4.

Stuff from kitchen you need: 1 small frying pan; 3 medium bowls; 1 large shallow bowl (I used a big salad bowl); chopping board; clean teatowl, kitchen paper; sharp knife. 

From my vegie patch:
1 cup fresh mint chopped
1 cup fresh coriander chopped
1 cucumber

Other ingredients:
500gm cooked chicken breast, shredded
1 large carrot
½ cup rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons castor sugar
1 medium red onion sliced thinly
2 cups (160gm) savoy cabbage finely shredded
100g roasted peanuts or cashews chopped finely
2 spring onions chopped
1 clove garlic
10 sheets round Vietnamese rice paper (in supermarket or Asian grocer)

Dipping sauce
2 tablespns fish sauce
¼ cup water
2 tblespn castor sugar
2 tblespn line juice
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 teaspoon oil

Let’s do it...

1.       Heat small saucepan and add garlic and shallots, fry lightly for 2 minutes and add cooked shredded chicken, toss in juices and remove from heat and leave in frypan for now.

2.       Meanwhile, with a vegie peeler, peel large strips off the carrot longways and then chop with knife into 10cm matchstick. Put in bowl; add rice wine vinegar, sugar & salt. Stir around and cover for 5 min.

3.       Add onion to carrot, give another stir and re-cover for another 5 min. Once time is up, discard liquid and put bowl aside

4.       Put mint, coriander and cabbage in another bowl and toss.

5.       Bring carrot mix, chicken mix, cabbage mix, cucumber and nuts all to one area. Wet completely a clean teatowel and lay flat on your bench... this is where the magic will happen. (G&T as pictured is optional but recommended!)

6.       Put a cup of boiling water and a cup of cold water in a separate large flat bowl and submerge into water smooth side-down of rice paper to bottom of bowl, this will take about 30 - 45 sec until water is absorbed, you will feel the difference. Now you are ready to rock’n’roll..

7.       Take rice paper out of water carefully, lay flat on tea towel and add a little of all the mixes although double the cabbage quantities to the others. Fold the paper from the bottom up to the middle, Fold up the side and roll over fully to finish off. It doesn’t take long to get the hang of it I promise. The first one is always a little dodgy J Repeat process until you have used up all ingredients.

8.       Wet a piece of kitchen towel and place over rolled paper rolls to keep fresh.

9.       Combine all dipping sauce ingredients in a jar and give a good shake.

Serve your rice paper rolls up immediately and enjoy the fresh raw tangy flavours of wholesome and healthy food.

Soundtrack that’s so aptly titled: Rawville by The Bamboos