Vegetarian Vietnamese feast

Our Social Media Coordinator, Leigh, is off in Vietnam at the moment. So in his honour, we've got one for the vegetarians today.

Next time you're hosting a dinner party, try this incredible and simple 3-course Vietnamese feast to wow your guests.

Avocado and vegetable rice paper rolls

Ingredients:

• 8 small rice-paper wrappers
• 1/2 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
• 3/4 cup (50g) beansprouts, trimmed
• 1 small carrot, peeled, grated
• 1 medium Lebanese cucumber, peeled, cut into ribbons (using a vegetable peeler)
• 1 medium avocado, peeled, cut into strips
• Sweet chilli sauce, to serve

Method:

• Pour warm water into a heatproof bowl until half full. Dip 1 rice paper wrapper in water. Place on a flat surface. Stand for 20 to 30 seconds or until soft enough to roll without splitting
• Place one-eighth of lettuce along 1 edge of 1 wrapper. Top with one-eighth each of beansprouts, carrot, cucumber and avocado
• Fold in ends and roll up firmly to enclose filling
• Cover with a damp tea towel to prevent roll drying out
• Repeat with remaining wrappers, lettuce, beansprouts, carrot, cucumber and avocado
• Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Vegetarian pho

For the broth:

• 1 small unpeeled onion, quartered
• 2 unpeeled shallots, halved
• 8 garlic cloves, halved
• ginger, coarsely sliced
• 2 (3 inch) cinnamon sticks
• 2 star anise pods
• 4 cloves
• 8 cups clear vegetable stock
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• salt  (to taste)

For the soup:

• 500g rice noodles
• 250g fried tofu, sliced
• Half bunch spring onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts  (approx)
• basil or mint (a big handful, to taste) 
• 1 lime, cut into wedges  (for serving)
• hoisin sauce  (to taste)
• chili paste  (to taste)

Directions:

• To make the broth, heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, shallots, garlic, ginger, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cloves. Dry-roast, stirring occasionally until the vegetables begin to char
• Add the stock and soy sauce and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes
• Strain into a clean pot and discard the solids. Taste the broth and add salt if necessary. Keep warm over low heat
• While the broth is simmering, prepare the rice noodles. Place the noodles in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over the noodles to cover and soak for 20 minutes
• When you are ready to assemble the soup, add tofu to the warm broth and allow to heat through
• Drain the soaked rice noodles and divide evenly among 4 to 6 large bowls.
• Using a slotted spoon, scooptofu out of the broth and distribute among the bowls
• Ladle the hot broth over the noodles
• Serve the bowls of pho with the spring onions, bean sprouts, herbs, lime wedges, hoisin sauce and chili sauce on a seperate platter so that everyone can season their own soup as they wish

Banh gan (Coconut creme caramel)

Ingredients:

• 225g (1 cup) white sugar
• 80ml (1/3 cup) water
• 1 x 400ml can coconut milk
• 375ml (11/2 cups) milk
• 6 eggs, lightly whisked
• 100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• Toasted shredded coconut, to serve
• Shredded lime rind, to serve

Method:

• Preheat oven to 160°C. Combine the white sugar and water in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil 
• Boil, without stirring, occasionally brushing down side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water, for 3-4 minutes or until golden
• Pour the caramel mixture evenly among eight 160ml (2/3-cup) capacity ovenproof ramekins. Set aside for 5 minutes or until set
• Whisk together the coconut milk, milk, egg, brown sugar and vanilla bean paste in a large bowl until well combined. Strain through a fine sieve into a jug. Carefully pour over the caramel mixture in the ramekins
• Place the ramekins in a large roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water into the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes or until the custards are just set
• Transfer to a baking tray and set aside for 1 hour to cool. Cover the ramekins with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight to chill
• To serve, run a flat-bladed knife around the inside edge of the ramekins and carefully turn onto serving plates. Sprinkle with shredded coconut and lime rind to serve

(Image: Steve Snodgrass)

If you're ready to try the real deal, check out our trips to Vietnam. Order a FREE brochure or read one online.

And don't forget, for just $250 you can put down a deposit to secure your booking while you get the rest of your finances together! How easy is that?

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