Name: Smoked Duck Rice Paper Rolls
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: Large round rice paper spring roll wrappers; 3oz | 100g dried vermicelli rice noodles; Thinly sliced vegetable of your choice. I use carrot, red pepper and cucumber and sometimes bean sprouts.; Small smoked duck breast thinly sliced. 24 slices for 8 rolls (smoked duck recipe below or buy a pre smoked breast from the supermarket).; 8 lettuce leaves - use soft lettuce such as iceberg or butter lettuce.; 2 sprigs of fresh mint leaves; 2- 3 scallions (spring onions) thinly sliced.; Fresh cilantro (coriander); Handful of chopped peanuts or cashew nuts *optional; Sesame oil

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If you’re looking for Asian picnic food ideas, look no further than the rice paper roll.

Plate of smoked duck rice paper rolls with one cut on the angle.

For an Asian inspired picnic, rice paper rolls, along with nori rolls, make perfect Asian picnic fare. They are easy to transport and manage al fresco, they are incredibly versatile and are one of the more elegant cold picnic food ideas to grace the blanket.

Picnic table in the park with Asian style picnic of duck rice paper rolls.

Also called Summer Rolls or Fresh Spring Rolls, rice paper rolls are fresh and light, easy to make, and are very forgiving in as far as how you fill them. There are no set rules; just go with your style.

Serve them with a dipping sauce as the main picnic dish or as a side or starter. Maybe pair with Asian coleslaw and cold Asian spiced or marinated chicken pieces for a full Asian picnic menu.

I have gone with a smoked duck spring roll ( you can find the recipe for smoked duck breast below). Duck and Asian flavours go so well together and the duck makes the rice paper roll a more substantial dish. If you don’t want to smoke your own duck breast, you can buy pre smoked duck from most supermarkets, butcher or poultry supplier.

As mentioned, there are no set rules with how you want to fill your spring rolls. I include chopped nuts inside for added crunch. Sometimes I use bean sprouts and sometimes not. Feel free to experiment.

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How Far in Advance Can You Make Rice Paper Rolls

One of the key considerations regarding the preparation for a picnic is – how far in advance can I prepare this dish?

We have put full notes on preparation and storage of rice paper rolls in the recipe notes below. In short, rice paper rolls are best prepared as close to serving as possible and served at room temperature.

However, you can prepare them in advance and store them successfully. We just recommend no longer than 6-8 hours for maximum freshness. You can prepare your fillings the day before and have everything ready to roll on the day. The rolling really isn’t the labour intensive part, you’ve done all the work with the prep.

Asian style picnic of smoked duck spring rolls.

How to Store Rice Paper Rolls

Again, we give you the full rundown in the recipe notes on how to store your rice paper rolls for maximum freshness. You will see lots of advice about using damp towels. This is a fine short term solution for laying over rolls that will be served immediately.

Use plastic wrap, with plastic separating each roll, so they don’t stick together is the best way for longer-term storage. The rice paper wrapper also stays moist this way. Then, they can be stored in the fridge for a period of time in an airtight container.

Doing this will prevent them from drying and the rice paper becoming rubbery. Some have even had success making the rice paper rolls the night before and storing them this way. Make sure they return to room temperature before serving.

If you have some leftover duck breast, try our Smoked Duck, Fig and Grilled Pear Salad. It makes a delightful picnic salad that is sure to impress.

Yield: 8 Rice Paper Rolls

Smoked Duck Rice Paper Rolls

Give your picnic an Asian spin with smoked duck rice paper rolls. Perfect finger food for a picnic, rice paper rolls are fresh and light - as their other name "Summer Rolls" suggests. While the smoked duck makes them feel a little more substantial, if not a little more sophisticated. Perfect for sharing with assorted dipping sauces for a no-fuss, no mess picnic lunch.

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Additional Time if Smoking Duck Breast 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

Large round rice paper spring roll wrappers
3oz | 100g dried vermicelli rice noodles
Thinly sliced vegetable of your choice. I use carrot, red pepper and cucumber and sometimes bean sprouts.
Small smoked duck breast thinly sliced. 24 slices for 8 rolls (smoked duck recipe below or buy a pre smoked breast from the supermarket).
8 lettuce leaves - use soft lettuce such as iceberg or butter lettuce.
2 sprigs of fresh mint leaves
2- 3 scallions (spring onions) thinly sliced.
Fresh cilantro (coriander)
Handful of chopped peanuts or cashew nuts *optional
Sesame oil

Instructions

If you are not buying a pre smoked duck breast - smoke the duck as per this recipe, also shown below. You can do this a day or two in advance as the duck will keep well. Slice the duck thinly.
Peel and slice your vegetables. I like to use a mandoline to achieve a nice thin slice—less chance of the veg piercing your rice paper wrapper with thin veg pieces.
Wash and drain the lettuce leaves. Keep the leaves in large pieces but remove the crunchy core. You only want the soft part of the leaf.
Pluck the coriander and mint leaves from the stems.
Roughly chop the cashews or peanuts. I like to place some chopped nuts inside the lettuce roll for added crunch. Chop them fairly small and place them in the middle of the roll so they don't pierce the wrapper. Others like to add the nuts to the dipping sauce and as a garnish. The choice is yours.

Prepare the Vermicelli Noodles.

Plunge the noodles into boiling water to soak.
After a few minutes, use a fork to separate the noodles and leave to cook until soft and flexible but still firm. I find pouring boiling water from the kettle over the noodles in a bowl and allowing them to stand for approx ten minutes until soft and separated works just fine.
Drain the noodles into a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and wash off any excess starch.

Drizzle a small amount of sesame oil over and toss through to prevent the noodles from sticking.

Assembling the Rolls

Get all of your fillings laid out so you can work quickly when you start making the rolls.
Fill a bowl with hot water (not scalding) and submerge a rice paper wrapper in the water until it becomes soft and translucent (I find a round cake tin works well with a shallow amount of water). It should only take a few seconds. You don't want the rice paper so soft it tears.
Place the rice paper sheet on a damp tea towel.
Tear a suitable size of lettuce leaf and place it near the top of the rice paper round. Use the leaf to wrap your noodle and vegetable fillings to protect the wrapper. If adding nuts for crunch, keep them in the middle of this bundle.
Fill your lettuce leaf with fillings.
Layer a few leaves of mint and cilantro in front of the lettuce bundle.
Layer 3 slices of duck in front of the lettuce and vegetables towards the middle of the roll. Doing this will have the duck slices on the top of the roll once finished. I like to place a few small bright garnish pieces under the duck slices to make it more interesting. Just nothing sharp that could tear the rice paper such as pointy carrot pieces.
Fold in the left side of the rice paper, and then the right side in towards the middle and roll firmly from the top (where the lettuce is), to make a cigar style roll.
Take another sheet of rice paper and repeat.
Serve with a dipping sauce of your choosing. Sweet chilli or hoisin work well with duck. Or combine hoisin, rice wine vinegar, light soy, sesame oil and lime juice for a lighter sauce. Add crushed peanuts or cashews for garnish.

Notes

How Far in Advance Can You Make Rice Paper Rolls

Ideally, it is best if you prepare rice paper rolls as close to serving time as possible and served at room temperature. They do not hold up as well in the fridge if made the day before. Refrigerating can dry them out and make them rubbery. Especially if not stored correctly (see notes below). However, it is possible to prepare and store them in advance of serving - ideally, no longer than six-eight hours.

I would suggest prepping all your fillings the day before and roll them as close to your picnic as possible. Wrap in plastic as per below and pack in an airtight container.

How to Store Rice Paper Rolls

If preparing well in advance, some suggest keeping them covered with a damp towel, but the best way to keep your rolls fresh is to wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Not covered with plastic wrap on a plate, but each roll wrapped in plastic, so they don't stick together.

This is not as labour intensive as it sounds. You can wrap the rolls in groups. Lay a long sheet of plastic wrap, wrap one and place another next to it and continue to wrap with the samp plastic piece ensuring there is a layer of plastic between each roll. Put them in an airtight container before refrigerating.

Allow the rolls to return to room temperature before serving. About 30 minutes out of the fridge should do the trick.

How to Smoke Duck Breast

Slow smoked duck breast is a gorgeous addition to so many picnic menu ideas and is a lot simpler to make than many think. We show you how to smoke a duck breast and how to incorporate it into your picnics.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

2 boneless duck breasts
2 tablespoons of ground black pepper *optional

Instructions

Remove duck breasts from the fridge and pat dry with a paper towel.
Score the skin being careful not to cut the flesh.
Cover the skin of each breast with ground pepper and rub into the skin. (This is optional but I find the pepper helps crisp the skin and the taste will cook-off if you render the fat further in the pan).
Prepare the bbq with around 3-4 handfuls of wood chips in the smoker box (or in a tinfoil packet with a hole poked in the top). More or less depending on how intense you like your smoke flavours.
Place a bowl of water on the rack away from where the duck breast will sit. This will help keep the breast moist and juicy.
Set your bbq to approx 132℃ | 270℉. Only one side of the burner should be lit, the opposite side to where the duck breast will sit.
Place the duck breast skin side up with the temperature probes inserted if using them.
Close the lid and smoke the duck until the internal temperature reaches medium-rare 61℃ |141℉. This will be approx 30 minutes for a small breast and 50 for a large.
If the breast has a thick fat layer, you may wish to render the fat further. Place skin-side down on a medium to hot pan and allow the remaining fat to render out. Crisping the skin further without burning it. See notes about cooking times if the breast has a very thick fat layer.
Let duck rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving. If not serving immediately, leave the breast whole until ready to use.

Notes

Rendering the Fat & Crisping the Skin

If the fat layer is thin, the fat will render and skin will crisp in the smoker. If the breast has a particularly thick layer of fat, you may wish to render this off in a pan after cooking. Depending on the thickness, you will need to factor this additional cooking time.

If it is thick, I recommend smoking to the rarer side of medium-rare to allow for at least another 5-10 minutes cooking skin down in the pan. Watch your heat as you want the fat to render and skin to crisp but not burn. Don't be scared to reduce the heat as it renders.

Keep Your BBQ and Kitchen Fat-Free

Duck generally has a lot of fat which will drip and splatter. It is recommended to use a foil tray or lining in your bbq to catch the fat as it drips. Also, use a grease splatter screen if rendering the fat in a pan after smoking.

Easy Smoked Duck Rice Paper Rolls