Rice Paper Rolls

I've been meaning to post about my rice paper rolls all week.  I have to say, I did a magnificent job of it this time, so it's only fair to share.  Right?  This began with a "bring something to share for lunch" instruction at the beginning of Work Break.  What to bring!?  I finally settled on this idea and decided to prepare a chicken for it, since I had no leftovers from a roast.

So, for the chicken I took a whole bird (about 1.6kg) and put a spring onion and 3 star anise in the cavity.  On the outside, I brushed a soy sauce and sesame oil mix (equal quantities).  Then I shoved it in the oven and left it to bake at 180C for just over 90 minutes.  That cooled in the fridge and then got chopped up and was all ready for the next day.

The rice paper can be found in the Asian section in your supermarket.  If the Woollies in Our Town has it, I know you'll find it easily enough.  I happened to be in Coles down the Hill and found mini wrappers, so used that for my lunch-to-share.  For my own lunches I use the larger ones and make five.  That's just perfect for me.

To fill, you soak the rice paper according to directions (it doesn't take long at all).  When laid on the bench, I smear a small dollop of hoi sin sauce on one edge (as in the picture above) and then on that dollop, I place shredded red oakleaf lettuce, carrot matchsticks and chopped chicken.  Roll that as tightly as you can, as you would for spring rolls and refrigerate until you eat them.  So once you have the filling encased, bring in the edges and then complete rolling.

This recipe is great for those on a wheat free diet.  You can make it gluten free by using sauces appropriate for the condition.  This also suits those kids who hate bread in their school lunches.  My kids adore them.