Vietnam – A Different Kitchen

I first came across Vietnamese Rice Soldiers on my travels to Australia, where there is a varied range of Asian cuisine and the quality is high.

Initially I thought they were uncooked sausages when I saw them in a deli takeaway. I soon learned that in fact they contain a mix of finely chopped protein, veg, herbs or spices, with rice or noodles, all wrapped up in a piece of transparent, edible rice paper. They are eaten cold as finger food, with a sauce for dipping, and usually accompanied by a stir fry side or noodles.

I sampled them in a restaurant in Little Vietnam, the name given locally to Victoria Street in Melbourne, and immediately became a fan! I brought home a pack of rice papers and am now able to make my own at home. Here is a photo of my latest batch:

A pack of rice papers is essential if you want to give these a try. I bought mine (below) in Aussie supermarket chain, Coles. Availability will depend on where you are in the world, but in the UK I have seen some smaller packs in M&S. The best bet may be a specialist Asian food store or online.

They are made from simply flour, salt and water, requiring just some fresh, lukewarm water to rehydrate and make them soft and flexible.

Servings

This made 8 soldiers. At 2 per serving, that makes 4 adult portions.

Timings

30 mins to chop and prepare the filling. Rolling up takes seconds. The soldiers can be made up in advance and kept in the fridge for a day or two.

You Will Need:

8 circular rice papers
a shallow dish filled half with just boiled water, and half with water cold from the tap (so that overall the water is lukewarm, around 50C)

For the filling:
120g boiled rice, cooled
1 marinaded chicken breast, cooled
1 carrot
around 10cm length of cucumber
2 – 3 scallions/spring onions
half a red pepper
small bunch of coriander/cilantro

For the dipping sauce
2 tbsp chilli paste
1 tbsp each of soya sauce, rice vinegar, honey and orange juice
a good squidge of tomato passata.

Method

Chop the carrot and cucumber into tiny little batons. Chop the other filling ingredients into small pieces and lay everything out on a board.
Take one of the rice papers and submerge it in the lukewarm water. It will begin to soften and take on a slightly, sticky, stretchy feel. Lay it down on a chopping board and put a line of rice across the middle.
Lay a line of chicken pieces on top of the rice, then follow with the carrot, cucumber, scallions, coriander and pepper. Use a little judgment here – you want the soldier to be well-filled but not overstacked.
Lift the flap of the rice paper nearest you and fold over the filling. Tuck in both sides, then roll the whole soldier forward until you have a sealed parcel. Check out my photos below, showing the rolling up in action! Set aside on a tray.
Carry on until all the soldiers are made up.
Put all the dipping sauce ingredients in a clean, screw top jar with lid on. Give it a good shake to combine, then pour into a serving bowl. The soldiers can be dipped into the sauce, or alternatively, once you’ve bitten off the top, spoon it on and let it drizzle down to mingle with the filling. Yum!

Customise It!

Vary the protein to include small pieces of fish, or use chopped cashews if you want to go vegan. A sprinkle of sesame seeds would be an excellent idea. Swap in fine, vermicelli noodles or bean shoots for the rice. Finely chopped root ginger, corn, celery are also options. As always on A Different Kitchen, use your imagination and go with the ingredients you like.

I served these with a side of stir fried bean shoots, pak choi, root ginger, garlic, red onion, carrot and mushroom topped with a sprinkling of sesame seeds (as shown in my main photo at the top of the post). For the stir fry sauce I simply made up more of the dipping sauce and poured that in. Hey – keep things simple!

It’s Superbowl weekend once more, and I am looking forward to staying up late this Sunday to watch the game. I can’t see any other outcome than the Kansas City Chiefs winning again, as they seem to be invincible when it comes to play-off season. Apologies to any Philly Eagles fans, but who knows, maybe you will surprise me?

Here’s a piece of classic Americana – Tom Petty with Running Down a Dream. Enjoy the Superbowl, everybody.

Victoria Street, in Melbourne’s inner city east, is known locally as Little Vietnam. It has earned this name through the number of Vietnamese restaurants and food stores that stretch out along both sides – a reflection of the sizable Vietnamese community that has settled in the city over recent generations.

I haven’t eaten Vietnamese before, so took the opportunity to try it out. A little research identified Van Mai as a good place to visit, and I’m pleased to say I would recommend it.

As a starter, we shared a plate of Rice Paper Rolls. I had seen these in some Vietnamese street food stalls in the city, and fancied trying them. Visually, they resemble sausages (see photo below), the contents wrapped in edible, transparent rice paper. Unlike sausages, however, they are eaten cold. The fillings included shredded carrot, beansprouts and crispy chicken, with fresh coriander. They were served with a dipping sauce that had a satay flavour.

For mains we chose three dishes. My main photo at the top of the post shows Crispy Chicken with Steamed Rice, served with vegetables and a chilli and ginger dipping sauce. We also tried the Salt and Pepper Tofu, deep fried and presented on a bed of crispy vermicelli (see below).

Our third dish was Steamed Fine Rice Vermicelli with BBQ Pork Balls. This was served with fried onions and shallots, fresh mint and crushed peanuts (see below).

This dish was eaten by handrolling the food in large crispy lettuce leaves, and dipping the parcel in a bowl of fish sauce.

I liked the food very much, particularly the pairing of hot and spicy with fresh, uncooked ingredients like lettuce, hand-torn mint and coriander. I also had fun eating with my fingers, though my hands were very sticky by the end of the meal.

Another joy of visiting Victoria Street is the sight of the Skipping Girl – a much-loved Melbourne icon dating back to the 1930s. It was the city’s first neon sign, advertising the Skipping Girl Vinegar brand. Walk down the street after your meal to see her as dusk is falling – she will be illuminated and, magically, skipping.

For the next track on the ADK Spotify Playlist we take inspiration from the Skipping Girl. This is Malcolm McLaren with Double Dutch.