Salad Rolls

Salad rolls.jpg

Makes: 8 rolls

INGREDIENTS

  • 100 grams (4 ounces) thin rice vermicelli

  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

  • 2 teaspoons finely grated ginger

  • 8 8-inch rice papers

  • 1/2 cup mint leaves

  • 1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, skin removed

  • 2 small carrots, cut into matchsticks

  • 1 5-inch length of English cucumber, cut into matchsticks

  • 3 green onions, cut into matchsticks

METHOD 

Cook vermicelli according to package directions. Rinse cooked noodles under cool water. Drain and reserve.

Stir hoisin with sesame oil, vinegar and ginger in a small bowl. Reserve.

Soak one rice paper in warm water until soft, about 2 minutes. Transfer onto a damp tea towel. Fold in half, making a half moon. Place 2 or 3 mint leaves in the centre. Top with 1/4 cup vermicelli noodles. Drizzle 1 teaspoon hoisin over noodles. Top with 2 heaping tablespoons chicken. Lay 3 to 4 matchsticks carrots, cucumbers and green onions over the chicken. Fold one side of the rice paper over the filling then firmly roll into a cylinder. Repeat with remaining rice papers and filling. Cover with a damp paper towel and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with remaining sauce.

 

SUGGESTED WINE PAIRINGS 

Lucy has referenced children in her introduction to the tostadas, so permit me to start with a non-alcoholic suggestion: lemonade. You can festively rim the glasses with sugar and call them “margaritas,” an enchanting word for kids to pronounce. Lemonade would suit the entire menu, in fact. For adults, the genuine margarita – 1 ounce tequila, 1 ounce fresh lime juice and 2/3 ounce triple sec shaken with ice – is a fine choice for all three recipes. So is a bloody Mary. On the wine side, keep things zippy or boldly fruity or both. These are spicy-zesty dishes that call for punchy fruit. Sauvignon blanc is ideal if you favour white. Good reds include zippy Beaujolais or fuller-bodied Chilean merlot or California red zinfandel (though the crisp, light salad rolls really beg for white). - Beppi Crosariol