When exploring our beautiful world there is a common experience most travellers rave about apart from the picturesque landscapes and the thrilling sightseeing. That is, THE FOOD!

Many of our Inspired Adventurers journey to destinations that have unique styles of preparing delicious dishes for our participants to try. Coming home and raving to friends and family is bound to happen, but it doesn’t have to end there. Why not try it at home!?

We attempted to make one of our favourite Vietnamese dishes, with a little Inspired twist. By no means are we professional chefs, but we are willing to take on the challenge! Like coriander, you will either love or hate making rice paper rolls. But with a little perseverance and practice, you can add a new skill to your home cooking repertoire.

For this attempt we have chosen a rainbow of ingredients and taken a more mild approach. Perfect for lunch or a healthy snack.

• Cabbage
• Bean sprouts (fresh or canned)
• Coriander
• Avocado
• Capsicum (red and/or yellow)
• Cucumber
• Lime
• Mint leaves
• Sesame seeds (for garnish)
• Peanut sauce (for serving)
• Nuoc cham sauce for dipping (make your own or grab a bottle of similar from the store)

• Slice your vegetables in similar sized strips and have them on hand to begin rolling
• Soak one rice paper in a bowl of warm water for a few seconds and carefully place on a clean damp tea towel
• Place a few pieces of each of your chosen ingredients on the wrapper about 3 cm from the base (closest to you)
• Squeeze a little lime over filling for some extra flavour
• Starting from the bottom of the wrapper fold up, followed by the sides and roll up to enclose your filling
• Place your rolls on a tray with a damp tea towel covering them and repeat the process with the rest of the wraps and filling
• Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top as a garnish. Slice in half or leave whole to serve with your chosen condiment
• Enjoy!

1. Prep all your veggies and have them ready to roll
2. If you’re not a fan of coriander, replace it with flat leaf parsley
3. Prepare the rolls as close to serving time as possible so they don’t dry out
4. Don’t overfill your rice paper sheet otherwise it will split
5. You can vary this recipe to your heart’s content. Mix it up and try different combinations or stick with the more traditional ingredients
6. There are some great condiments out there – take the easy route and buy a great satay sauce or simply use tamari
7. Remember: like pancakes, the first one is always dodgy!

You can explore Vietnam on our Northern Vietnam Trek or by bike on the Vietnam Cycle adventure. Don’t forget to check out our calendar for our upcoming adventures!

Other recipes:

• Fish Amok – Cambodia’s national dish
• Discovering the best Vietnamese dishes