Fried rice paper rolls with fish and prawns
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
These fish and prawn fried rice paper rolls are a delicious alternative on a Vietnamese classic.
Author:
Recipe type: Appetiser
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • Rice paper rolls:
  • 250 grams of fish meat (thinly sliced)
  • 250 grams of prawn meat (thinly sliced)
  • 1 spring onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1 Asian shallot (thinly sliced)
  • 1 onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 garlic clove (finely diced)
  • 1 carrot (shredded)
  • ½ cup of water chestnuts (finely diced)
  • ½ cup of bean thread noodle
  • ½ cup of black fungus
  • ½ cup of button mushrooms (finely chopped)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tablespoon of fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • ground black pepper
  • 20 sheets of rice paper
  • cooking oil for shallow frying
  • Dipping sauce:
  • 3 Tablespoon of fish sauce
  • 2 Thai/bird's eye chili (thinly sliced)
  • 1 garlic clove (finely diced)
  • 1 Asian shallot (thinly sliced)
  • 1 lemon/lime juice
  • 1 Tablespoon of sugar
Instructions
  1. Place the bean thread noodles and black fungus into separate bowls, add warm water and soak them for about 30 minutes to rehydrate them.
  2. Prepare the ingredients for the filling mixture: Remove the bones and skin (optional) from the fish fillets. Cut the fish fillets into 2 cm strips and then thinly slice into slivers. Remove the shell and devein the prawns, then thinly slice them into slivers. Wash, cut off the root and thinly slice the spring onion. Peel, cut off the root and thinly slice the Asian shallot and onion. Peel and finely dice the garlic. Peel and shred the carrot. Thinly slice the core ‘log’ of the carrot into ‘flowers’ and reserve to use in the dipping sauce. Finely dice the water chestnuts. Finely chop the button mushrooms.
  3. When the bean thread noodles are rehydrated, remove them from the water and cut them into 10 cm lengths with scissors. When the black fungus are rehydrated, remove them from the water and cut off their tough root section, then thinly slice them into slivers.
  4. Prepare the ingredients for the dipping sauce: Thinly slice the chili. Finely dice the garlic. Peel and thinly slice the Asian shallot. Cut the lemon into wedges. Put these ingredients aside. The sauce is best when made just before serving.
  5. In a large mixing bowl, add the fish, prawns, spring onion, Asian shallot, onion, garlic, carrot, chestnuts, bean thread noodle, black fungus, button mushrooms, egg, fish sauce, sugar, salt and pepper, and combine well together with a spoon. Put aside.
  6. Prepare a large bowl with warm water to soften the rice paper and a plate to wrap the rice paper on.
  7. Wrap the rice paper rolls (as per photo instructions): Slide a sheet of rice paper into the bowl of warm water to soften it. When it is softened, remove from the water and lay it flat on the plate. With the plate and rice paper in front of you, place about 1½ Tablespoon of the filling/mixture about ⅓ of the way up on the rice paper. Evenly spread the mixture out horizontally to form a log but not all the way to the edge. Fold the edge of the rice paper closest to you over the filling to cover it. Fold the left and right edges of the rice paper in to cover the sides of the mixture and form neat vertical sides. With your fingers firmly pressing the filling in place, gently and neatly roll the filling forward to the top edge of the rice paper to complete the roll. Ensure that the finished roll is neat and well sealed. Rest the completed rice paper roll on a plate or clean towel. Do not let them touch each other. Repeat the process for the remaining sheets of rice paper and mixture.
  8. Fry the rice paper rolls: In a wok or fry pan, add enough cooking oil for shallow frying and bring to medium-high heat. Carefully add the rice paper rolls and cook them in batches for about 5 minutes on each side or until they’re golden brown and crunchy. Ensure the rice paper rolls are evenly cooked by turning them over with tongs. When they’re done, remove them from the oil and place them on a plate or tray lined with paper towel and let them drain.
  9. Make the dipping sauce: In a small serving bowl, add the fish sauce, sugar and squeeze in the lemon/lime juice. Gently stir until the sugar is dissolved. Then, add the chili, garlic, Asian shallot and sliced carrot ‘flowers’, and mix together. Adjust the flavour to suit your taste.
  10. You can serve the fried rice paper rolls as they are (whole/cigars), or cut them in half or bite-sized pieces. Serve them with the delicious dipping sauce and a plate of mixed veg and herbs. Bon appetit!
Recipe by Padaek at http://padaek.com/fried-rice-paper-rolls-fish-prawns/