It's the latest instalment from The Sunlight Sets! Simple set menus that are light and easy to digest, for all to enjoy.
You’re in the atmospheric town of Hoi An, Vietnam. You get into the habit of eating fresh tropical fruit every morning. Dragon fruit, lychee, longan, rambutan, mango… you can’t stop. Blended with probiotic yoghurt, they make a creamy drink that complements the country’s famous rice paper rolls. Those bear no resemblance to the ones you’re used to back home – these are a messy, joyful eating experience. Big handfuls of herbs, stalks and all, grilled prawns on skewers, fermented vegetables… all on a huge sharing plate so you can roll your own. You eat in an outdoor café and think mmm, what’s next? The rest of those lychees won’t go to waste, no. Your tastebuds are about to go brrrrrrr.
Prawn and pickled vegetable rice paper rolls
Lychee lime lassi
Lychee bombes
Prawn and pickled vegetable rice paper rolls
Makes 8 rolls, enough for 2 travellers
Ingredients: 1 rectangle of dried rice vermicelli (rice noodles) · 1 tsp sesame oil · ¼ tsp chilli flakes · 3 radishes · ⅓ cucumber, peeled · ½ carrot, peeled · ½ tbsp rice vinegar · ½ tsp sugar · 1 tsp fish sauce · juice of ½ lime · 8 rice paper wrappers · handful each of coriander and mint leaves · 16 cooked large prawns · 4 leaves of butter lettuce, sliced thickly · 8 chives, chopped in half Dipping sauce: 1 tbsp sugar · 2 tbsp lime juice · 1 tbsp fish sauce · 1 garlic clove, finely chopped · ¼ tsp chilli flakes
Method: Put the dried noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand for 3 minutes. Drain the noodles, then rinse with cold water. Cut the noodles into smaller pieces with scissors and put them back into the bowl, mixing through the sesame oil and chilli flakes. Slice each prawn in half through the centre, and set aside. Cut thin slices of radish, and use a peeler to slice the cucumber and carrot into long, thin strips. Whisk together the rice vinegar, sugar, fish sauce and lime juice in a large bowl. Add the vegetables and coat with the dressing.
You’re ready to roll. Pour hot (not boiling) water onto a deep dinner plate. Press a rice paper wrapper into the water for about 5 seconds until it starts to curl at the edges. Flip it over and immerse again until it just softens. Lay on a chopping board and get ready to work quickly. Place four prawn slices and some herbs across the centre of the wrapper. Top with a small handful of noodles, some lettuce, a tablespoon of the pickled vegetables and two pieces of chive. Fold in both sides of the wrapper, then roll firmly from the base until it is closed. Cover the finished rolls with damp kitchen paper so they don’t dry out.
For the dipping sauce, whisk the sugar into the lime juice to dissolve then add the fish sauce, chopped garlic and chilli flakes.
Lychee lime lassi
Ingredients: 2 cups natural probiotic yogurt · 1 cup canned lychees (reserve 2 tsp of the syrup; save the rest of the lychees for your frozen lychee bombes) · juice from 1 lime · 12 ice cubes · ½ tsp ground cardamom
Method: Put all the ingredients in a blender and whizz until frothy. If you like your drinks without bits, blend a bit more. Serves 2.
Lychee bombes
Ingredients: 8 large canned lychees · 8 small fresh raspberries
Method: Pop a raspberry into the open centre of each lychee. Freeze your lychee bombes for at least an hour in a plastic container or silicone muffin tin. Enjoy your frozen treat. Makes 8.
Make it work for you
Lychees are high in FODMAPs, but you can still enjoy one or two bombes. Make your lassi with rambutan, longan, kiwi or pineapple, and blend it with coconut yoghurt to get your probiotic boost without the lactose.
The ritual
Head to your local green space, kick your shoes off and run barefoot to the nearest grassy hill. When no one is looking, roll down it with all the glee of a toddler. Brush yourself off and grin.
Comments