Rice Paper Rolls - Live cook alongs are back!

With Spring here, the longer evenings, new vegetables and diversity coming into your life, it's time for new fast, easy, and inclusive recipes!

With that, Nat from Prep Plant Based Meals and myself are so excited to be bringing back our live cook-along.

How it works:

We share the recipe a week prior then go live to share the experience with you, our live chats are full of not only how to make this deliciously nourishing recipe but tips, tricks and real-life experiences of plant-based living, running businesses, and how to diversify your well-being by living through Balance Me 4 health pillars.

Without further ado, our first recipe is Rice Paper Rolls!

We will be making ours with tofu, however, please feel free to come along and choose a protein and vegetables of your choice. Use this recipe simply as a guide.

Our goal is to increase education, community, and diverse nourishment. How you get there is your path, we are simply building the bridge.

Gather the ingredients and we will see you next Thursday 15th of September live on Instagram!

Rice Paper Rolls (serves 4)

• 1x packet 22cm rice paper rolls
• 600g FIRM Tofu (1/2 cup of corn flour)
• 150g Vermicelli noodles
• Lettuce (leafy if possible)
• 1 Avocado
• ¼ Red cabbage
• 2 Carrots
• 1 Capsicum
• ½ cucumber
• Mint
• Coriander

Dipping sauce – I don't sauce much but when I do, I’m a double sauce kinda girl 

Satay                                                                   

• 1/3 cup Peanut
• ¼ cup coconut milk (can omit for 2 tbsp water)
• 2 tbsp Hoisin
• 1 tbsp Rice wine Vinegar
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 1cm cube Ginger
• Chilli to taste

Sesame soy      

• ¼ cup Sweet Chilli   
• ¼ cup Tamari
• 2 tbsp sesame oil    
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar 
• 1 tbsp Dark Soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic                                                 

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180° C on fan bake
2. Soak your vermicelli noodles in lukewarm water and set aside
3. Slice your tofu into long sticks and pat dry with paper towels
4. Prepare your dressing of choice or both by combining all ingredients into a bowl and whisking them together.
5. Coat your tofu in the corn flour, place on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes, flip and cook for a further 10 minutes.
6. Prepare all your chosen vegetables by cutting them into sticks, julienning, and your leaf lettuce into separate leaves.
7. Add ½ of your sauce to a pan and bring to a simmer. If you are choosing the peanut satay, add 2-3tbsp of water
8. Once simmering, add your baked tofu and toss to create sticky marinated tofu sticks.
9. Drain your noodles and set them aside.
10. Fill a bowl as wide as your rice paper rolls with lukewarm water
11. Now it's time to put everything together.
12. Start by placing a rice paper roll in your water for 10-20 seconds. You want it to be soft to the touch but still firm enough to handle.
13. Then start to build your roll in the centre of the rice paper with your more stable things on the bottom to the least stable -> Lettuce, noodles, tofu, cabbage, carrot, cucumber, avocado, and herbs.
14. Roll you roll like a burrito fold over the edges, followed by the edge closest to you, tuck as much as you can to lock the ingredients over then roll it up. Don’t worry – it's like sushi, the first one is always a little wobbly.
15. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
16. Enjoy!

This dish is a great one to get your family or friends involved with, chatting around the table, making dinner, sharing combination ideas, trying new things you wouldn’t have tried before = incredible experiences

I find this dish is best served straight away, however, if you do wish to preserve your rolls, place them in a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out.