Fusion rice paper rolls

Try Diana Nguyen’s take on Vietnamese rice paper rolls with an Australian fusion twist. Honey caramelised onions, sliced chicken breast and creamy avocado aren't normally found combined in a rice paper roll but these unexpected additions are surprisingly good!

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 red onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp honey
• 200 g thinly sliced chicken breast
• 12 rice paper sheets
• 1 Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced or 4 thinly sliced baby cucumbers (qukes)
• 6 butter lettuce leaves, halved
• 100 g vermicelli rice noodles, soaked in boiling water until softened, then drained
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced
• 100 g bean sprouts, soaked in iced water, drained
• ½ small bunch mint, leaves picked
• ½ cup roasted unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped (optional)

For the sauce

• 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
• 2 tbsp hot water
• 1 red bird’s eye chilli, thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and honey and cook, stirring, until caramelised. Remove to a small bowl and wipe out the pan. Return the pan to the heat with the remaining oil. Add the sliced chicken and cook, tossing, until browned and cooked through. Remove to a plate.
2. To make the dipping sauce, combine the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Fill a large bowl with warm water, for dipping the rice paper sheets into. To assemble, dip a rice paper sheet into the warm water for 20 seconds, or until just softened, then place onto a clean working surface. Fill with cucumber, lettuce, noodles, caramelised onion, avocado, bean sprouts, mint leaves, chicken and peanuts. Fold the bottom edge of the rice paper sheet over the filling, then fold in the sides and roll up to enclose.
4. Transfer to a serving dish. Repeat with the rest of rice paper rolls and filling. Serve the fusion rice paper rolls with the dipping sauce.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.