Super Summer Rice Paper Rolls

This is such a delicious, light and versatile recipe for the summertime and is completely adaptable according to people's preferences, and the vegetables you have available in the fridge. They're fun to make with the kids and makes it easy to get lots of vegetables into them at lunchtime! 

We give you some great ideas of vegetables to try out as well as super easy ideas for a protein element to your roll. Finish them off with one of our favourite dipping sauces and voila, a simple lunch or a light dinner is served!

Check out our 5 rice paper roll combinations below and let us know which one is your favourite!

These are great for a Sunday lunch when you need to clear out lots of vegetables from the bottom of the fridge. We love to keep rice paper stocked in our pantry and some vermicelli noodles too - as they're super low carb and even gluten free!

The vegetables we always grab for this recipe include:

• Carrots
• Cabbage
• Cucumber
• Lettuce
• Capsicum
• Avocado
• Bean Sprouts
• Coriander/Mint
• Spring Onion
• Beetroot
• Mango

If you have some left over 'Stella Slaw' then this is perfect to add as well. ​

For a protein element, we love mince (beef, chicken and especially pork), poached chicken, prawns, tofu, edamame beans and pulled pork. My dad makes an amazing pulled pork, which adds a super interesting Mexican twist to this typically Asian meal - super delicious. 

Cook these protein elements however you like and add them in! These rolls are perfect for left over meats you have in the fridge, the opportunities are endless and don't be afraid to experiment with flavours that aren't Asian-inspired. 

Here are our top 5 flavour combinations!

1. Vegan: vermicelli, edamame beans, beetroot, capsicum, cabbage, avo, radishes with a peanut dipping sauce
2. Vegan: tofu, cabbage, cucumber, carrot, capsicum, radishes, coriander with a soy dipping sauce
3. Shrimp: prawns, carrot, cucumber, bean sprouts, mint, with a hoisin dipping sauce
4. Chicken: chicken strips, coriander, carrot, spring onion, lettuce, capsicum with mango salsa
5. Pulled Pork: leftover pulled pork with avocado, cabbage, carrot & coriander

And finally, to top it all off, here are our top 5 dipping sauce recipes!

1. Peanut Dipping Sauce:

Combine these ingredients in a nutribullet and pulse until smooth

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
•  1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
•  2 teaspoons soy sauce
•  1 clove garlic, mashed (or about 1 teaspoon minced)
•  1 teaspoon sweet chilli sauce
•  1-2 tablespoons warm water, or more as needed
• optional garnish: crushed peanuts, sprinkle of crushed red pepper

2. Soy & Sesame Dipping Sauce:

Combine the following ingredients

•  1/2 cup soy sauce    
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar        
• 2 tablespoons honey        
• 3 cloves minced garlic        
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root        
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds        
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

3. Hoisin Dipping Sauce: this one's super simple but so delicious!

Combine the following ingredients

• ½ cup hoisin
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons sweet chilli sauce

Hoisin is also amazing with pork dishes, so this would be perfect with pork mince. 

4. Mango Salsa: from Annabel Langbein 

Combine the following ingredients

• 1 mango, peeled and cubed
• 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped

5. ​Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce:

​Combine the following ingredients

• 4 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 1 garlic clove peeled and crushed

How to roll your Rice Paper Roll:

This is probably the most fiddly and daunting component of the recipe. However, we've recently figured out a few tricks. 

When preparing your rice paper, get a large bowl (large enough to fit one stiff rice paper sheet inside). Fill this bowl with warm water, not too hot as you'll to be able to touch the water freely. 

To the side, prepare a chopping board covered with a damp tea towel. Grab your first stiff rice paper sheet and place it into the bowl of water water, allow it to soak for approximately 20 seconds or until the sheet begins to soften. Pick your sheet out of the water when the sheet is soft enough to pinch but doesn't fall apart and stick together. Place the sheet immediately on the damp tea towel as flat as you can possibly make it. 

Try to work quickly. As the sheet dries, it becomes rather sticky and difficult to manipulate.

Below is a super helpful guide from Lorna Jane on how to roll your rice paper roll correctly!

Be sure to let us know if you try out some of the rice paper roll flavour combinations! 

​From our home to yours,