RICE PAPER ROLLS WITH BEEF & MUSHROOM & SPICY PEANUT OIL
MAKES 12 / PREPARATION 15 MINUTES / COOKING 5 MINUTES
This rice paper spring roll is inspired by Vietnamese cuisine and given a flamboyant edge in its presentation.
1 tablespoon chilli flakes 2 teaspoons paprika
1 cup peanut oil
100g fresh shiitake mushrooms 1 tablespoon minced ginger 2 tablespoons black rice or balsamic
vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce 100g fresh enoki mushrooms 12 rice paper sheets, 16cm size 50g microgreens
180g hotpot sliced beef (available in
Asian supermarkets)
30g chives, 15–20cm long
Place chilli flakes and paprika into a heatproof bowl. Heat the oil in a small pot to 115℃, or until a bread cube fries but shows no colour after 10 seconds. Pour the hot oil over the spices, stir to infuse and set aside.
Finely slice the shiitake mushrooms. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon chilli peanut oil. Sauté shiitake mushrooms for 1 minute, then add ginger and cook for a further minute. Add vinegar and soy sauce and continue cooking for 2 minutes until almost completely evaporated. Remove from the pan and cool. Carefully separate the enoki mushroom into individual stems.
Dip three rice paper sheets into a bowl of cold water and fully submerge. Remove from water and place on a clean bench for 3 minutes to hydrate and become opaque. Arrange a generous pinch of microgreens in the centre of the rice paper horizontally. Place a sliver of hotpot beef on top of microgreens against the left edge of the wrapper. Place 3–4 pieces cooked shiitake on the beef and arrange 3–4 pieces each fresh enoki and chives so that half their length is overhanging the left edge of the rice paper wrapper. Carefully lift the right edge of rice paper and fold towards the centre trying to keep a right angle. Lift the bottom edge and begin rolling to the top edge. The rice paper wrapper will be stretchy and you can gently pull it back towards you while rolling away from you, to get a nice tight wrap. Repeat for remaining spring rolls. With practice, you can soak more at a time. Serve on a large plate drizzled with spicy oil and serve the remainder on the side.
GIVE THESE A GO…
Philly cheesesteak egg roll Beat 3 large eggs and keep to one side. Finely slice 200g each of white onion and green capsicum. Cut 400g sirloin beef into 1cm strips. Heat a tablespoon of butter in a pan and sauté the sliced onion and capsicum with 2 crushed garlic cloves for 4-5 minutes over moderate heat until tender. Set aside. Reheat the pan until hot with a tablespoon of butter and sear the beef and cook for 3–4 minutes until light pink inside. Remove from heat to cool. Separate 10 spring roll wrappers. Evenly divide the cooked vegetables and beef between the wrappers and place the filling in the centre. Place a thin slice of provolone cheese on top. Fold the bottom edge up to cover the filling and fold in the sides at 90-degree angles and continue to roll up to the top edge. Seal with the egg wash and brush the entire spring roll with egg wash. Shallow fry the egg rolls in 1cm of oil on all sides for approximately 4 minutes until golden.
Banana, caramel & chocolate chip
filo spring rolls Peel and cut 3 bananas in half through the centre widthwise. Separate 18 filo pastry sheets into six stacks of three. Arrange each stack to form a diamond pattern. Place a tablespoon of Highlander Caramel Condensed Milk in the centre. Place half a banana on top horizontally and press 5–6 dark chocolate chips into the banana. Lift the bottom point of the phyllo up and over the banana. Fold in each side to form right angles and continue to roll the phyllo pastry up and seal with a small amount of melted butter. Repeat for the remaining banana. The pastries can be brushed with melted butter and baked for 20 minutes at 170℃, or shallow-fried for 3 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and allow to cool before biting in.
Spring rolls were traditionally made in China at the start of spring with all the emerging vegetables. Over time, the tradition spread throughout Indochina and eventually the world. The spring roll is spiritually a pastry wrapper with filling served fresh or fried. With that in mind, I’ve kept that as the core framework and added a dose of imagination.