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 Do you look at recipes in glossy magazines and cookbooks and despair of ever making anything like that yourself?
The nzgirl Test Kitchen is about real, easy food that anyone can make. We search out recipes, then test them, so you can see what the food really turns out like.
In honour of this month’s travel theme, we decided to bring you delicious exotic nibbles from around the world. Amber prepared our office favourite, her famous Vietnamese Prawn Fresh Rice Paper Rolls (on request!) and Tee whipped up some tasty Spicy Mexican Chicken Kebabs with Guacamole.
Check out the mouth watering goodies we whipped up and read on to find out how you can spice up your next social occasion…  ___________________________________________________________________________
Amber’s Vietnamese Prawn Fresh Rice Paper Rolls
Editor’s Note: Amber picked this recipe up when she was in Vietnam, so it’s pretty darn authentic. Apparently she even knows how to make the rice paper from scratch (impressive!) but for a good equivalent, she recommends Trident’s Rice Paper packs. Time to prepare: Amber whipped through this in no time – an easy but impressive looking treat to wow your guests with. Just be prepared to make it all the time once they taste how yummy it is!
The $$$: Taste sometimes comes at price, but it’s so worth it for a treat. Total cost is $25.77 and it works out to be approximately $3.22 per serve. Taste rating: These special treats of Ambers are a total office favourite here at nzgirl HQ. We request them whenever we can because they’re just so gosh darned yummy! The prawns, the fresh mint, the peanut dipping sauce! YUM! Ingredients Makes 6 - 8 servings Vietnamese Prawn Fresh Rice Paper Rolls 2 tablespoons oil 1 white onion 300g prawns (raw and peeled) 1 cucumber, sliced into sticks 1 carrot, sliced into sticks 2 tablespoons white vinegar Handfuls of fresh herbs (mint, coriander etc) Rice Paper to roll (look in the Asian section at the supermarket) Lettuce Peanut Dipping Sauce 2 tablespoons peanut butter (preferably crunchy) 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 pinch x chilli flakes (more if you like it spicy!) 1 clove of crushed garlic ¼ cup coconut milk  Steps 1: Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, then add prawns (they’ll turn pink when cooked, after approx 5 mins). 2: Cut cucumber and carrot sticks into thin sticks and place into a bowl, add the white vinegar and mix through. 3: Roughly chop the herbs (remember the stalks can be bitter so just use the leaves).
4: Fill a large bowl with warm water. Add one rice-paper sheet and wait until it begins to soften (about 30 seconds). Remove from water; place on kitchen towel and pat to dry. Place prawns in the middle of the rice-paper sheet, add herbs, carrot, cucumber, and a lettuce leaf on top of prawns. Now it’s time to roll! Fold bottom of the rice-paper sheet over filling, then fold in ends and roll into tight cylinder.
5: Repeat until all your rolls are made. They are great cold so you can do this up to six hours ahead. Cover with damp paper towel and plastic wrap (so they don’t dry out) then chill.
6: Next is the delicious peanut sauce, and it’s super easy! Place all sauce ingredients into a small pan and heat for approx 30 seconds. Use a wooden spoon to mix through as it heats. When done pour into a bowl and place next to the rolls.
TO SERVE: The Vietnamese inspired treats would go down perfect with the Min Che, a delicious fruity concoction of lychee, mint and apple sours. Yum! Tee’s Spicy Mexican Chicken Kebabs with Lachs’ Guacamole Editor’s Note: These kebabs are super easy to make and they taste great! I’ve added in my boy’s secret guacamole recipe – peel and seed the tomatoes and remember not to mash it up too much and leave it chunky! Time to prepare: Bear in mind you’ll need to marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes – in fact, make everything up in advance and so all you need to do is just whack the kebabs on the barbie!
The $$$: All in all this meal cost $17.78 and works out to be $2.22 per serve. Nice! Taste rating: These were also yummy and a big hit in the nzgirl office. The spicy flavours of the chicken go perfectly with the tart lime juice and the rich guacamole. They’d be great served with a side of corn chips! Ingredients Makes 6 - 8 servings Spicy Mexican Chicken Kebabs 60mls olive oil 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon chilli 500g chicken breast, boneless and skinless, cut into chunks 1 red capsicum, cut into chunks 1 green capsicum, cut into chunks 1 red onion, cut into chunks Wooden skewers 1 lime to serve, cut into wedges Guacamole 2 avocados (ripe) 2 tomatoes Juice of 1 lime Pinch of chilli powder Salt and Pepper
Steps
1: To make the guacamole start by chopping up avocado into chunks. Add in the chilli and lime juice. Peel the tomatoes by placing them in a bowl of boiling water for a minute, so that the skin just peels off. Remove the seeds and then chop finely and add in with the avocado mixture.
2: Then mix everything together with a fork (not before, you don’t want an avocado puree!) so that the flavours are combined, but still with so that it’s chunky.  3: Pre-soak your wooden skewers in a glass of water for at least 20 minutes. This is to stop them going up in smoke on the barbeque. 4: Mix together the oil, spices (cumin and chilli) and garlic in a bowl and mix well. Add the chicken pieces and mix. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to allow the flavour to soak in. 5: Take your skewers and thread on your chicken pieces, alternating with the capsicum and onion chunks. Drizzle any remaining marinade on the kebabs.
6: Fire up the barbecue (or your fry pan) to a medium-low heat, place your kebabs on the heat and cook through on each side (about 10-12 minutes), rotating regularly until the chicken pieces are thoroughly cooked. Use a knife to cut into the middle of the larger ones, and make sure there’s no pink bits and that any juices run clear.
7: Place the kebabs on a serving platter, arrange lime wedges beside them and put the guacamole in a bowl. Serve! TO SERVE: The spicy Mexican inspired treats would go down perfect with the Slush Puppy, an icy blend of orange, grapefruit and passionfruit! Perfect for a scrumptious meal like this one. Tee and Amber |
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