Cold Rolls

These things go by so many different names, I've met people who have no idea what I'm talking about when I mention them. Sometimes people call them Vietnamese rolls but that generally refers to those crazy french inspired pork baguettes filled with fresh herbs and mayo. Rice paper rolls, fresh spring rolls and cold rolls are common names.

Anywho, I love them! I'd never had them really until I moved to Adelaide and my first housemate introduced me to them. She put avocado in them too which was so delicious! They're the best lunch on a hot day because they're so refreshing. I love that fresh herb and chewy rice paper goodness.

The concept is so fun because you can fill these with all sorts of leftovers, doesn't need to be ~authentic~ just as long as it tastes good. They're super transportable and can be eaten with your hands so they make the perfect picnic or packed lunch addition. Going to be making many more of these over the summer.
 

Chicken Avocado Cold Rolls

300g chicken thighs
1 tsp soy
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp palm (or brown) sugar
1/2 a lime's juice

16 round rice paper sheets (available in the Asian section at most supermarkets)
1 bunch coriander
1 bunch Vietnamese mint (or regular if you can't find Vietnamese)
100g rice vermicelli or glass noodles
Cucumber slices
Shredded lettuce
4 spring onions sliced
1 large avocado, cut in to slices


Method
Marinade the chicken in the soy, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Pan fry until cooked through and browned on the outside. Let rest then slice thinly.

Prepare the rice vermicelli or glass noodles as instructed.

Lay all the ingredients out along with a large shallow bowl/tray filled with recently boiled water and assemble as follows (I love to put this all on the table and let people DIY)

1. Quickly dunk rice paper in the hot water ensuring it is wet on all sides. Do not let it soften and wilt in the water otherwise you will struggle to handle it later. It will continue to soften as it sits.

2. Place on to a clean damp tea towel and lay chicken gracefully down the middle of the sheet.

3. Top with avocado, herbs, lettuce, cucumber and spring onion then adorn with a generous pinch of the noodles.

4. Wrap like you would a burrito, bringing two opposite sides in then folding a third over and rolling to seal shut.

Serve with a dipping sauce of choice, I like to keep it simple and just eat them with soy or a mix of 2/3 soy, 1/3 rice vinegar, a dash of fish sauce and a squeeze of lime.

Two Bite Tortellini

I had a friend coming over for dinner so I decided to get a little fancy and make some tortellini. I'm pretty sure I folded them wrong but I think they look adorable and close enough, haha. I only realised after that I'd done it wrong the whole time. Also, I accidentally kind of sort of made them jumbo sized so to cover up my mistake I've renamed them two-bite tortellini. I actually quite enjoy the larger size because you get a nice big mouthful of the tasty filling!

I filled mine with a really tasty chicken and leek filling made with a "chicken mousse" it was somewhat experimental but turned out fantastic!

Pasta tip: Make sure you roll your pasta out very thin as it will expand when it cooks and all those little folds will end up being tough if your dough is too thick, 7 or 8 on my pasta machine worked a treat.

Pasta

100g/1 cup plain flour to 1 egg. (of course this varies with size of egg/humidity etc.)

I used 400g flour and 3 XL eggs plus a splash of water as needed. This made enough for about 6 serves of tortellini although the rule is that 100g is per person, I'm sure this would be the case for un-filled pasta.

Combine most of the egg to the flour and knead adding more flour/egg/water if necessary. Knead for a few minutes until it becomes smooth. Don't worry if it seems a little dry or tough at first once the dough rests it will become much softer/stickier and malleable. Set aside and rest for at least 30mins to a few hours. If you're leaving it for more than 30mins or so or it's a warm day pop it in the fridge.

Knead lightly then pass through a pasta machine on the first setting folding over a few times, slowly increase the setting and dust sheets of pasta/set aside. 

Filling

Serves 6

1 large leek
300g (one medium size) chicken breast
1 egg white
75ml cream
salt and pepper

Finely slice/chop leek and saute in butter and oil until softened.

Roughly chop chicken and place in a food processor, process until it forms a paste, add egg white and process further slowly adding in the cream. Season with salt and pepper and process once more to combine.

Stir through saute'd leeks.

 Making the Tortellini

So, I forgot to take photos of the construction process so I will try to explain it the best I can. Cut the pasta in to approx. 10x10cm squares and place a small teaspoon of filling in the lower left quarter. Fold the opposite corner over and seal shut (if needed use a little water or that leftover egg yolk).

Roll the filling pouch over so it is ontop of the sealed corner then sit the pasta so that the pointy sealed corner is up horizontally and the two sides are flat on the bench.

Pull each side flap around away from the corner side then pinch together.

Boil them in a large pot of well salted water and once they rise leave them for another minute or two to ensure the filling is cooked. Just cut one in half to check if you're unsure.

Tip: They also freeze really well! Freeze un-cooked and just plop them in to the water and add another minute or so to the cook time.

I tossed mine in a Sugo d'Arrosto which I got from my book "The Man Who Ate Everything" by Jeffrey Steingarten.

I'm the worst at taking photos because I just get so caught up in the making/eating process. I'll get a snap of one cut in half next time I bust out the frozen batch.