FRESH SPRING ROLLS

The combination of Chinese lettuce, mint leaves and garlic chives gives this
Vietnamese classic an unmistakeably light and fresh taste.

INGREDIENTS

Round rice papers
Warm boiled water
Chinese lettuce leaves
Mint leaves
Fresh rice vermicelli

Garlic (Chinese) chives

Lean pork

Freshwater prawns
(shrimps)

30 sheets, 20 cm (8 in) in diameter
as required
300 g (11 oz), washed and drained
50 g (1⅔ oz), washed and stalks discarded
1 kg (2 lb 3 oz), replaceable with Indian
string hoppers (putu mayam) or thick
round rice (laksa) noodles
200 g (7 oz), washed and cut into 12-cm
(5-in) lengths
300 g (11 oz), boiled for 15 minutes or
until cooked, then thinly sliced

500 g (1 lb 1½ oz), boiled and peeled

DIPPING SAUCE (COMBINED)

Preserved soy bean paste
Coconut juice
Chopped lemon grass
Light soy sauce
Skinned peanuts
Sugar
Minced chilli
Minced garlic

5 Tbsp
2 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp, pounded
2 tsp
2 tsp
2 tsp

METHOD

▪ Lay 1 sheet of rice paper on a round tray or plate. Smear on warm, boiled
water to soften.

▪ Put 1 lettuce leaf and 1 mint leaf at lower end of rice paper, followed by
some rice vermicelli on top.

▪ Fold in left and right sides of rice paper, resulting length should be about
10 cm (4 in).

▪ Position 1 chive stalk along length of roll, leaving about 2 cm (1 in) to stick
out on 1 side.

▪ Put 1 piece of pork and 2 prawns on top of other ingredients, then roll up
firmly. Dampened rice paper will stick to seal.

▪ Repeat process until ingredients are used up. Serve rolls with dipping sauce.

Carefully slice off stems
of Chinese lettuce leaves.
Removing the hard stems
makes for easier rolling later.

Holding pork, prawns, and
chive in place, carefully fold
lower edge of rice paper over.
Dampened rice paper is sticky
and difficult to undo.

To keep the dipping sauce
for future use, bring sauce
to the boil and cool before
refrigerating. Sauce can be
stored for up to a week and
served cold.

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