Creative with Rice Paper

Rice paper is something that has always fascinated me but I have kept my distance because it seems so delicate that I find it daunting to experiment with. But one evening, with rice paper on hand and not much else to do, I decided to give it a go. Without the typical ingredients, I decided I was going to fill it with whatever I had in the kitchen.

The result was a bit fishy but delicious nonetheless. Most importantly though are:

1. Rice paper is tremendously strong and stretchy.

2. As long as you have the salad and the meat plus some mint and/or other fresh herb leaves like cilantro or lemon basil, you are good to go!

3. I am confident this can easily turn into a vegetarian dish by replacing the meat with a smoky flavoured pressed tofu cut into long strips.

4. A bit of crunch from carrots, bean sprouts or celery and the like go a long way.

5. My fish sauce dip is fantastic but a diluted peanut butter dip is probably just as nice, especially if vegetarian is your preference.

This is not exactly a local Chinese dish that I include in my cooking classes but it still makes for a great Asian addition to my repertoire!