Ingredients

Serves 6

Vietnamese Fighting Fish with Rice Paper Rolls

1 whole snapper (about 1.3-1.5kg), scaled and gutted

Marinade:
2 cloves garlic
1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed, bruised and sliced
1tsp sea salt
¼ cup roughly chopped dill
1 tsp turmeric
3 Tbsp vegetable oil


To serve:
12 dried rice paper wrappers
2 bowls of warm water
150g cooked rice vermicelli noodles
Lettuce leaves (oak or buttercup)
Assortment of fresh herbs – sawtooth coriander, Thai basil, mint, perilla leaves & garlic chives
Nuoc mam sauce (see below)

 

Vietnamese Pancakes
Serves 4

Pancake Batter:
½ cup cornflour
½ cup plain flour
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp sugar
1½ cups water


Salad Mix:
300g cooked chicken, torn into thin shreds
½ cup bean sprouts
¼ cup finely sliced cucumber, seeds removed
½ cup grated carrot
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
½ tsp sugar


2 golden shallots, finely sliced
Vegetable oil for frying
Lettuce leaves (oak or buttercup)
Assortment of fresh herbs – sawtooth coriander, Thai basil, mint, perilla leaves & garlic chives
Nuoc mam sauce (see below)

 

Nuoc Mam Dipping Sauce
4 tbsp fish sauce
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped red chilli
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp lime juice

 

Method

Vietnamese Fighting Fish with Rice Paper Rolls
Preheat oven to 180°C.
For the marinade, place garlic, lemongrass and salt in a mortar and pestle and pound to a rough paste. Add dill and pound until bruised. Stir through turmeric and vegetable oil.
To prepare fish, make deep, diamond shaped cuts into flesh on each side of the fish. Rub marinade over fish. Stuff cavity of fish with al-foil and stand fish on a baking tray lined with al-foil.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until just cooked through (test by gently flaking flesh of fish).
Serve fish whole at the table with rice paper, bowls of warm water, noodles, lettuce, herbs and nuoc mam sauce.
Each person can dip their rice paper into the warm water to soften and then create their own rolls from the ingredients.

 

Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Pancakes)
For the pancake batter, place dry ingredients in large bowl and whisk in water until smooth.

For the salad, place all ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine.

Heat enough oil in a large frying pan to just coat the bottom. When hot, add a small handful of shallots and fry for 30 seconds. Then pour in batter, swirling the pan to create a thin crepe. Fry for another 30 seconds, then place salad mix on one half of the pancake. When base of pancake is crisp, flip the empty side of the pancake over the filling. Tip onto a plate and serve with lettuce leaves, herbs and nuoc mam sauce.

To eat, each person takes a portion of the pancake, wraps it in a lettuce leaf along with fresh herbs.

 

Nuoc Mam Dipping Sauce
Stir ingredients until sugar dissolves.