Veggo Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Make the pickled carrots and daikon (make ahead)

1. Place carrots and daikon in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat and rest for 10 minutes to draw out moisture.
2. Rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
3. In a small saucepan, combine water, vinegar, and sugar. Bring to a quick boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then cool for 5 minutes.
4. Pour liquid over the vegetables and set aside to pickle while preparing other elements.

Prepare the tofu

1. Bring the water to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add the salt and stir to dissolve.
2. Add the tofu pieces and boil gently for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the tofu from the water with a slotted spoon and drain for 1–2 minutes.
4. Crumble the tofu by hand into a large mixing bowl. Do not squeeze the tofu completely dry.

Prepare the mushrooms

1. Place the dried shiitake and wood ear mushrooms in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and cover the bowl with a lid or plate. Soak for 10 minutes, or until softened.
2. Drain the mushrooms and squeeze out excess water. Remove any tough stems from the shiitake mushrooms.
3. Finely chop the shiitake mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms. A handheld food processor can be used.

Prepare the bean thread noodles

1. Place the noodles in a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water and cover the bowl with a lid or plate. Soak for 5 minutes, or until just softened.
2. Drain well and cut into short lengths.

Make the spring roll filling

1. Heat the neutral oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring often, until softened and lightly golden.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
3. Add the vegan fish sauce, followed by the chopped mushrooms, and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the taro, carrot and crumbled tofu. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until the taro and carrot have softened and any excess moisture has cooked off.
5. Add the spring onions, bean thread noodles, vegetarian oyster sauce, white pepper, caster sugar and cornflour.
6. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring until evenly combined. The filling should be moist, but not wet.
7. Transfer the filling to a large bowl or tray and set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes before rolling.

Make the sealing paste

1. Mix the plain flour and water in a small bowl until smooth.

Roll and fry the spring rolls

1. Place one spring roll wrapper on the bench in a diamond shape, with one corner pointing towards you. Place 1 tablespoon of filling near the bottom corner and shape it into a short log.
2. Fold the bottom corner over the filling, then fold in the two sides. Roll firmly towards the top corner.
3. Brush the top corner with the flour paste and finish rolling to seal. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
4. Heat the deep fryer to 180°C. Fry the spring rolls in batches for 8 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to drain.

Make the thickened vegan nước chấm

1. Place the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Add the vegan fish sauce and stir.
3. Mix the cornflour and cold water in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Stir the slurry into the saucepan and simmer for 30–60 seconds, stirring constantly, until the sauce becomes glossy and lightly thickened.
4. Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, garlic and chilli. Cool completely before serving. The sauce will thicken slightly more as it cools.

Serve

1. Arrange the spring rolls on a serving platter with the butter lettuce leaves underneath.
2. Place the mint, perilla and pickled carrot and daikon on the cos lettuce, followed by a spring roll.
3. Drizzle a small amount of thickened nước chấm over the spring roll just before serving.
4. Serve the remaining nước chấm in a small dipping bowl on the platter.