CREATIVE USES FOR RICE PAPER
Don’t be afraid to experiment with traditional fare and change up the flavours
In 1982, I ate my first salad roll at one of the older, established Vietnamese restaurants in Toronto, right before my first bowl of pho.
The salad rolls and pho were prepared by a tall, elegant and stern woman from an open kitchen in the middle of the restaurant.
The rolls were filled with leaf lettuce, rice noodles, cilantro, mint, green onions, cucumber and pork skin that had been seasoned with fish sauce and toasted rice powder.
Basic, subtle and texturally perfect, the ingredients were expertly rolled in the rice paper. Not tight and bulging or loose and sloppy, the rolls had the appearance of what I can only describe as the culinary equivalent of military bed corners.
Intently watching the chef flow from task to task, I saw that the rice papers for salad rolls were dipped in water and stacked between pizza pans to keep them supple and ready to roll, or served with platters of grilled meats with fresh herbs and vegetables that came from another kitchen that was behind closed doors.
I made salad rolls for years and taught them in cooking classes. Gradually, they faded away from my repertoire.
Watching a YouTube video of “Vietnamese pizza” (banh trang nuong) being crafted by a Saigon street vendor got me thinking not about salad rolls, but of rice paper.
Well, salad rolls did cross my mind, and I dropped the thought because there are thousands of versions and I didn’t feel the need to add to the fray.
The “pizza” looked fantastic, but a little too complex to explain in a recipe since the making of it is filled with detailed nuance.
Then I came across rice paper salad (banh trang tron), another street food that was filled with dried shredded squid, dried beef, dried shrimp, green mango and rau ram, known by westerners as Vietnamese cilantro.
This was a little off the mark for most western palates, so I experimented with the idea.
I used to be much more of a snobby purist. Now, one of the aspects that I love about food is being part of a community that is continually pushing boundaries.
If your idea bombs, it pushes you to find something better. If it’s great, it becomes part of your contribution to the evolution of food. barnabyvansun@gmail.com