Discover the ultimate recipe for irresistible Saigon-style mixed rice paper - Mytour

Strolling through Saigon's bustling streets, you'll easily stumble upon numerous stalls selling mixed rice paper. From upscale eateries to sidewalk carts, this simple yet tantalizing snack is ubiquitous. However, the proliferation of these mixed rice paper vendors has raised concerns among diners regarding quality, ingredient sourcing, and food safety. So why hesitate? Capture the recipe for making mixed rice paper that's capturing the hearts of the young crowd.

1. Ingredients for preparing mixed rice paper

• Dried rice paper: 1 pack
• Green mango: 1 fruit
• Quail eggs: 10 eggs
• Fresh jackfruit: 3 fruits
• Shredded pork floss: 5g
• Shredded beef jerky/Dried squid strips: 40g
• Dried shrimp: 10g
• Spring onions and shallots: 100g
• Cilantro: 50g
• Roasted peanuts: 50g
• Tây Ninh shrimp salt
• Vegetable oil, cashews
• Chilies, garlic, lemongrass, tamarind sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, chili powder, sugar, seasoning powder

When purchasing rice paper, opt for circular, white, thin, and flexible ones. For the perfect mango portion for the recipe below, choose green, sour, and firm ones to easily shred and retain crispiness when mixed. As for quail eggs, select ones with slightly rough shells and a layer of white powder on the outside to ensure they remain intact when boiled, enhancing the allure of the mixed rice paper dish.

Discover more: Secrets to crafting authentic Hanoi-style com cake

2. Guide to preparing delicious mixed rice paper

Step 1: Prepare the ingredients

Firstly, cut the rice paper into rectangular pieces approximately 1 - 2 cm wide. Alternatively, you can cut them into bite-sized pieces according to preference.

For quail eggs, boil until cooked, then rinse with cold water and return to a pot to gently shake for easy peeling. Next, peel and julienne the mango, set aside. Pluck, wash, and chop the cilantro. Halve the tamarind, squeeze out the juice for a fragrant aroma and slight sourness to enhance the appeal of the mixed rice paper. Toast the peanuts until golden and peel. Finely chop chili, garlic, and lemongrass in a ratio of 10:1:2.

Proceed to fry the shallots. Peel and slice the shallots thinly. Heat a pan, add vegetable oil and heat until hot, then add the sliced shallots and fry until fragrant. When the shallots turn a beautiful golden color, turn off the heat. Strain the fried shallots separately to remove excess oil and maintain crispiness when mixed. As for the spring onions, wash, chop finely, and add hot oil to make scallion oil.

Step 2: Make the sauce for mixed rice paper

In the recipe for mixed rice paper, the sauce is the crucial component determining its deliciousness. Making your own sauce at home not only gives you peace of mind but also allows you to adjust the flavor according to your preference.

Firstly, heat a pan and add vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot, add the cashews. While making the cashew oil, keep the heat low and gently stir with chopsticks. When the oil turns a beautiful golden color, turn off the heat and strain the oil.

Next, heat a small amount of vegetable oil and add garlic and lemongrass to sauté until fragrant. When the garlic and lemongrass turn golden, add the chili and stir-fry. Once the chili is cooked, add the cashew oil. Then, add tamarind sauce and season with 5g of sugar, 2g of seasoning powder. Cook for another 3 - 5 minutes and then turn off the heat.

Once the sauce mixture has cooled, add 1 small spoon of soy sauce, 1 small spoon of vegetable oil, and mix well to dissolve. If you like it spicy, you can add chili powder according to taste.

Step 3: Mix the ingredients together

This is the final and simplest step. Place the shredded rice paper in a deep large bowl and add the sauce gradually, stirring to coat evenly. Next, add mango, fried shallots, scallion oil, dried beef, shredded pork floss, dried shrimp, cilantro, shrimp salt to the bowl.

Use your hands to mix the ingredients thoroughly, allowing them to absorb the sauce. Finally, add ¾ of the toasted peanuts, tamarind pulp, and quail eggs. Once the rice paper in the bowl is evenly coated with the beautiful sauce, transfer it to a plate. Then sprinkle the remaining peanuts on top, along with quail eggs, dried beef, or scallion oil according to preference.

3. Finished product after completion

Delicious mixed rice paper dishes often have a satay-colored appearance, without the white color of the rice paper showing through the sauce. Especially, the rice paper maintains its chewiness without becoming soft or sticking together. To achieve this, the person mixing the rice paper needs to be skillful, meticulous, and not overly generous with the sauce.

The golden-orange color of the rice paper, dark red of the dried beef combined with the green of the mango and cilantro create an eye-catching, enticing dish. When eaten, you'll experience the chewiness of the rice paper, the rich flavor of the sauce, the spiciness of the chili, cilantro, sourness, and crispiness of green mango, and the creamy richness of roasted peanuts, quail eggs. If you're a fan of toppings, you can add quail eggs, dried beef, or pork floss to satisfy your taste buds. However, avoid adding too much pork floss as it can make the dish too salty.

This is considered the 'foolproof' recipe for mixed rice paper that leaves diners lingering in nostalgia. On gatherings, cooking this delicious mixed rice paper dish with close friends in the kitchen, then enjoying it while chatting away, is incomparable.

4. Notes on the recipe for mixed rice paper

• The rice paper should not be cut too small as it can easily crumble, soak up water, and become difficult to pick up. You can cut them in half and stack multiple pieces together to cut quickly and evenly.
• To enhance the flavor of quail eggs without making them overwhelming, you can fry them lightly. This gives the quail eggs a crispy outer layer, making them absorb the sauce easily when mixed and adds a unique taste.
• The ingredients for the mixed rice paper sauce are prone to burning. Therefore, when cooking, use thick-bottomed, non-stick pots and pans, and cook over low heat.
• If your sauce turns out too salty or bland, you can adjust the amount of shrimp salt until it suits your taste.

• The shrimp salt should be ground or finely crushed to ensure even mixing and avoid clumping, which can result in uneven seasoning.
• When making this dish, it's advisable to mix quickly and evenly to absorb the flavor, ensuring that the rice paper remains crispy.
• Rice paper easily absorbs water, so after mixing, it should be eaten immediately without delay. If you want to store it for later, it's best to store the ingredients separately and mix them when ready to serve.

Above is the recipe for making mixed rice paper that's easy and quick. Follow Mytour for more cooking recipes!

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