Rice Vermicelli

1. Take a large heatproof bowl and place rice vermicelli in it.

2. Pour boiling hot water over rice vermicelli until it is completely submerged.

3.  Let it sit for 5 minutes (or as instructed on the package). Do not boil, or it will go mushy.

4. You will notice the rice vermicelli fluff up, turn white, tender, and springy. This is an indication that it is, done.

5. Drain the water out through a strainer or sieve and let it cool.

6. Rice Vermicelli is now ready to be used in rice paper rolls.

Filling (Veggies, nuts, herbs)

1. While rice vermicelli is soaking in hot water, prepare all the veggies, tofu, herbs, and peanuts.

2. Peel carrots and cut it into approx 10cm long thin juliennes. I use a julienne peeler to make it easy.

3. Do not peel the cucumber. The green skin adds colour and vibrancy to the roll. Julienne cucumber, the same way as the carrot but discard the centre part as it makes the rolls watery.

4. No need to chop the coriander. Leave leaves on the stem but make sure they are not too long or thick.

5. Roughly chop Peanuts. Do not grind them.

6. Take equal parts of white sesame and black sesame and mix them in a small bowl. Black sesame will give interesting black speckles look to the roll.

7. Wash and separate individual mint leaves from the stem and collect them in a bowl. Mint leaves give a fresh flavour to the roll and also look pretty when seen through the transparent paper roll.

8. Slice tofu into 10cm long and 5 mm thick strips. Tofu is optional though. Marinated tofu or Japanese style tofu works best but plain firm tofu can also be used.

9. Collect all the above-prepared veggies, herbs, nuts, tofu, sesame seeds, Hoisin sauce and drained rice vermicelli in a large plate as separate piles, ready to be used when rolling rice paper rolls. 

10. This is important as the assembling and rolling of the roll need to be quick to prevent the rice sheet from sticking to the base and tearing.

Rolling Rice paper rolls

1. Wet tea towel with water and wring excess water out. Note, the towel should be damp and not dripping wet.

2. Spread the damp tea towel on the kitchen counter next to the fillings plate.

3. Pour lukewarm water into a shallow dish that is wider than the dried rice paper sheet. 

4. Work with one rice sheet at a time.

5. Dip one rice paper sheet into the shallow dish filled with water and count to 3.

6. Lift the rice paper roll, and place it on the damp tea towel. Note the rice paper sheet will still be stiff but slightly pliable. Don't worry, the sheet will eventually soften as you progress with filling assembly.

7. Take a tsp of Hoisin sauce and spread it in a rectangular shape of 10cm width leaving 10cm from both sides and 10cm from the bottom i.e. In between the red dotted guideline line shown in step 1 of the how-to roll rice paper rolls infographic.

8. See step 2 from the how-to roll rice paper rolls infographic. This will give an idea of the placement of the rest of the filling ingredients on the rice paper sheet.

9. Place a few juliennes of carrot on top of the spread Hoisin sauce. Followed with a few juliennes of cucumber. Place one or two strips of tofu if using alongside carrots and cucumber. 

10. Top carrot and cucumber juliennes with a small pile of rice vermicelli and spread evenly.

11. Place sprigs of coriander alongside vermicelli (not of the top) cause we want to see white background when rolling over the mint leaf.

12. Do not overfill or you could risk tearing the rice paper. Sprinkle crushed peanuts over vermicelli. Skip peanuts if making nut-free rolls.

13. Place one or two mint leaf (depending on the size), parallel to filling, shiny side down on the rice paper roll on the top end of the sheet leaving 5 cm from the top between the red dotted guideline. (see step 2 for reference).

14. Sprinkle mixed sesame seeds on and around the mint leaf.

15. Now comes the crucial part of folding rice paper sheets.

16. Gently but firmly using both of your hands, lift the left-hand side paper sheet and fold it over the filling, creasing along the left side red dotted guideline.

17. Repeat this folding pattern with the right-hand side of the paper sheet along right side red dotted guideline as shown in step 3 of the how-to roll rice paper rolls infographic.

18. Now lift and fold the bottom of the paper sheet over the filling and the folded sides as shown in step 4 of the how-to roll rice paper rolls infographic.

19. Place your fingers in front of the filling and gently pull the filling towards you while rolling the roll upward using your thumb over the filling as shown in step 5 of the how-to roll rice paper rolls infographic. Make sure to roll tightly with no air bubbles but do not apply too much pressure or else the roll will burst. 

20. Keep rolling the roll upwards over the mint leaf and sesame seeds.

21. Finally, roll over the end of the rice paper sheet to seal the roll.

22. Place the roll on a plate covered with a damp tea towel to keep it from sticking to the plate. Also, cover with another damp tea towel to keep it fresh and prevent it from drying.

23. Continue this with the rest of the rolls.

24. Enjoy it with sweet chili sauce or soy sauce. I personally prefer sweet chili sauce with the rolls.