Light Bites Recipes - Clear Rice Paper Rolls  Recipe

Ingredients

• 50g/2oz fine rice vermicelli

• 225g/8oz/1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed and drained

• 8 crisp lettuce leaves, halved

• fresh mint and coriander (cilantro) leaves

• 225g/8oz tender cooked pork, sliced in strips

• 175g/6oz peeled cooked prawns (shrimp), thawed if frozen

• 16 large rice-paper roll wrappers

• ground black pepper

• black bean sauce, to serve

Serves 8

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Method:

1. Soak the vermicelli in warm water until softened. Drain, then snip into short lengths.

2. Heat a pan of boiling water for 1 minute, drain, rinse and drain again.

3. Tip into a serving bowl. Put the bean sprouts in a dish and arrange the lettuce and herb leaves on a platter. Put the prawns and port in separate bowls.

4. Soften the rice papers in water as described on the packet then place two on each plate.

5. Each guest places a piece of lettuce on one end of a wrapper, tops it with noodles, bean sprouts and herbs and adds some strips of pork.

6. The wrapper is rolled one turn and then a few prawns are placed on the open part and the roll is completed and dipped in sauce. The second roll is prepared the same way.

Note: Pretty as a picture, these transparent rolls allow the filling to be glimpsed through the wrap.

Variation: A simpler version of this recipe uses favored minced (ground) pork to fill these rice paper rolls. Begin by heating 15ml/1 tbsp oil in a (Tying pan, then (fly 350g/1 1/2 cups minced pork for 5-6 minutes, until browned all over. Season well, stir in 30ml/1 tbsp oyster sauce and leave to cool. Use the mixture to fill 8 softened rice-paper wrappers, using the technique described in the recipe above. Serve with chili sauce for dipping.