Beef and watermelon rice paper rolls

Sounds wacky? I know, I wasn’t too sure at first but they turned out to be really yummy!

We had half a watermelon kicking around the vege drawer and because it wasn’t particularly sweet we hadn’t eaten much of it. So I figured, it tastes a little like cucumber, it might work in our rice paper rolls. And so this recipe came to being. You could also try it with chicken, tofu, fish or pork.

Apologies about the not-so-flash images, I took them on my phone while we were eating.

Beef and watermelon rice paper rolls

250g thin beef steak

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

2 tablespoons XaoShing wine (you could also use dry sherry)

2 teaspoons caster sugar

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 teaspoon sesame oil

3 thin slices watermelon

1 carrot

1/2 Lebanese cucumber

1/2 capsicum

2 green onions

1/2 cup mint leaves

1/2 cup coriander leaves

10-12 16cm rice papers

Hoisin sauce to serve

Your favourite dipping sauce* to serve

Place the steak in a bowl or snaplock bag with the soy sauce, XaoShing, sugar, garlic and sesame oil. Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Thinly slice the watermelon, carrot, cucumber, capsicum and green onion. Place on a plate with the mint and coriander.

Cook the beef on a hot barbecue or frying pan for 1-2 minutes each side, for medium. Slice thinly.

Fill a shallow bowl with warm water. Dip a rice paper into the water for 20-30 seconds or until pliable. You don’t want it too soft or it will be difficult to handle and may tear. Think of it as being ‘al dente’.

Spread a little hoisin down the middle of the paper. Top with your favourite fillings and roll to enclose. Dip and enjoy.  Repeat with remaining papers and fillings.

Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a nibble

* You can use a store-bought dipping sauce such as sweet chilli sauce or make your own. We used a Coles brand mango chilli salad dressing which I added light soy to.

Two other easy dip options are:

– Black vinegar combined with Asian chilli sauce.

– Lime juice, caster sugar and fish sauce.