Smoked Duck Summer Rolls

Asian style rice paper rolls on a white plate.

5 from 2 votes

Give your picnic an Asian spin with smoked duck rice paper rolls. Perfect finger food for a picnic, rice paper rolls are easy to make and as the name "Summer Rolls" suggests, are fresh and light.

Prep Time40

Cook Time5

Additional Time if Smoking Duck Breast30

Total Time1 15

Course: Appetizer, Finger Food

Cuisine: Asian

Servings: Rice Paper Rolls

Calories: 176kcal

Author: Kate O'Malley

Ingredients

1 Small smoked duck breast thinly sliced. 24 slices for 8 rolls Link to smoked duck recipe in the notes or buy a pre smoked breast from the supermarket.
3 oz dried vermicelli rice noodles
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil or vegetable oil
Thinly sliced vegetable of your choice. I use carrot, red pepper, and cucumber and sometimes bean sprouts.
8 lettuce leaves use soft lettuce such as iceberg or butter lettuce.
2 sprigs fresh mint leaves
2- 3 spring onions thinly sliced.
fresh cilantro
¼ cup chopped peanuts or cashew nuts *optional
8 large round rice paper spring roll wrappers

Instructions

If you are not buying a pre-smoked duck breast – smoke the duck as per this recipe. 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 them to cook until soft and flexible but still a little firm. I find that pouring boiling water from the kettle over the noodles in a bowl and allowing them to stand for about ten minutes until soft and separated works 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 or vegetable 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 noodles 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

Recipe Variations and Substitutions

Vegetables: I like carrots, cucumbers, and red peppers for their crunch and color. You can experiment with different types of vegetables.

Nuts: I include chopped nuts inside for added crunch; sometimes, I use bean sprouts. Feel free to experiment.

Smoked Duck: See my recipe for smoked duck breast. It’s not as difficult as you might think. You can use unsmoked duck breast or buy pre-smoked duck from most supermarkets, butchers, or poultry suppliers.

Alternative Meat: You can substitute the duck for chicken, prawns, or slices of pork.

Tips

Prepare Ingredients in Advance: Having all your fillings chopped, cooked, and ready to go before you start rolling makes the process much smoother and faster.
Roll on a Damp Surface: Don’t forget to place a damp kitchen towel or paper towel on your work surface. Rolling on a damp surface prevents the rice paper from sticking and tearing, making it easier to roll.
Don’t Overstuff: Loading up your summer rolls is tempting, but overstuffing can make them hard to roll and more likely to tear. Remember when filling that you need to be able to fold over the sides and roll them up tightly.
Practice Makes Perfect: Don’t worry if your first few rolls aren’t perfect. Rice paper can be tricky to work with at first, but you’ll quickly get the hang of it after the first one or two.

Nutrition