Tofu Rice Paper Rolls with Peanut Hoisin

All about the delicious dipping sauce!

After years of searching, it has taken until now for me to nail (well in my opinion!) the perfect sauce for rice paper rolls. I used to get so frustrated that my attempts at home were nowhere near as good as the sauce I got at Vietnamese restaurants. I tried suing the hoisin sauce in a jar from Asian supermarkets but it wasn’t the same – way too intense. But after lots of experimenting and seeking the advice of many talented cooks, I have unlocked the secret! And it’s so simple. Just equal parts hoisin, good quality coconut cream and crunchy peanut butter. Easy. If you aren’t vegetarian or you eat fish, I also suggest adding some Vietnamese fish sauce for spring rolls – note this is very different from regular fish sauce! It’s very mild and just adds a nice tangy fresh note to the sauce. You could also add fresh lime juice if you liked.

For me rice paper rolls are really just an excuse to eat the peanut dipping sauce. Yes, clearly I am a fan! I love how the rich and creamy sauce compliments the fresh crunchy rolls perfectly. I keep the tofu plain and just fry it with marinating it as the sauce brings enough flavour to the rolls. I do however like to drizzle a little sauce over the tofu before I roll them up. I used to get frustrated watching people eat rice paper rolls that I had made and skip the sauce so by adding a little sauce into the rolls itself I help people to avoid the mistake of not enough sauce! But don’t get me wrong, you should still dip the rolls into more sauce! As I mentioned in my last post, one of my biggest complaints in life is there is never enough of the good bits of a meal. And the good bit is often the sauce! I like my pasta dripping with sauce (yes very un-Italian), my cheesecake covered in coulis and my salads loaded with dressing. If you don’t feel the same way as me you can of course just leave all the dipping sauce for the dipping!

The other great thing about these is that almost everyone can eat them. They are vegan, gluten free and good for those on the FODMAP diet - even the sauce! And my kids love them. Fig has become quite an expert at rolling them, should be able to put her to work soon! Another tip, if you are having people over for dinner and can’t be bothered, just get people to roll their own. They will think it’s fun and exciting and totally not realise you are just trying to make your own life easier.

Tofu rice paper rolls with peanut hoisin dipping sauce

Prep time: Approximately 45 minutes

Makes: Approximately 12 rolls

Dietary guide: This recipe is gluten free, FODMAP friendly and vegan

Ingredients

12 large rice paper roll wrapper

500g of medium firm tofu well drained

¼ cup of vegetable oil

1 large cucumber

2 carrots

1 bunch or coriander

1 bunch of Vietnamese or regular mint

200g of vermicelli rice noodles

1 small head of oak lettuce of other soft green lettuce washed and spun dry

¼ cup of toasted white sesame seeds

½ cup of salted roasted peanuts lightly crushed

½ cup of coconut cream (Kara brand if possible)

½ cup of crunchy peanut butter

½ cup of hoisin sauce

Method

1. Soak the vermicelli in boiling water for about ten minutes or until soft enough to eat. Drain well and set aside to cool.

2. Slice the tofu into 12 long strip about 10cm in length. Heat the in a large frying pan and fry the tofu, turning once until golden and crispy. Set aside to cool.

3. Deseed (optional) the cucumber and cut into long 10cm strips/batons. Cut the carrots into similar sized strips or alternately use a coarse Asian style grater (needs to be coarse so the carrots don’t get too juicy).

4. Wash and spin dry the mint and coriander. Pick the mint leaves off the stalk and remove any large stalks from the coriander.

5. To make the peanut dipping sauce, simply mix the coconut cream, peanut butter and hoisin sauce together.

6. To assemble, thoroughly dip one rice paper into room temperature water and lay it down on a food prep bench. It will still be hard at this pint but will quickly soften. Make sure all the following filling ingredients don’t go all the way to the edge of the rice paper – you need about 5cm without filling to fold up. Lay a piece of tofu along the bottom half of the paper and spread a teaspoon of the hoisin sauce along the tofu. Sprinkle with some of the sesame seeds and crushed peanuts.

7. Lay the mint (about three large leaves) long ways with the underside facing up about two thirds of the way up from the bottom. This is purely aesthetic and just means the rolls will look nice and pretty with the mint leaves showing on top!

8. Top the tofu with slices of cucumber, carrots, a couple of lettuce leaves and some noodles. Don’t over fill it – after the first attempt you will soon figure out the right amount!

9. Pull the bottom third of the rice paper and fold up over the filling. Tuck the edges in and continuing rolling it up. I find it helps get a tight roll if you gently pull on the roll towards as you roll it up. Coniture rolling the rest of the rolls. Once you get the hand of it, I suggest prepping the rolls in batches of 3-4 to save time. Cover with a damp cloth or an airtight container. Do not store in the fridge otherwise the noodles will go chalky and yuk. Ideally make and serve within two hours.

10. Serve the rolls with the peanut sauce and some extra crushed peanuts. Enjoy!