Duck-less rice rolls with plum sauce recipe

This duck-less rice rolls with plum sauce recipe is inspired by a starter that makes a regular appearance on the menu at my favourite Manchester veggie restaurant, Greens. They’re gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and super healthy. They’re filled with shiitake mushrooms, which have been used medicinally by the Chinese for more than 6,000 years; sesame seeds, which are full of skin-healing copper, zinc and selenium; and fresh coriander, which can lower cholesterol, ease arthritis and reduce blood pressure. They’re quick and simple to make and perfect to serve as a starter or for your working lunch. Makes 6 rolls.

Ingredients

For the rolls:

6 rice papers

6 thinly sliced spring onions

¼ cucumber, sliced thinly

5 pan-fried shiitake and field mushrooms

A little coconut oil (for frying)

Fresh coriander

Sprinkling of sesame seeds

Handful of watercress

For the plum sauce:

5 fresh plums

1 clove of garlic

1 peeled small chunk of ginger (or a little ginger powder)

A few drops of tamari sauce (gluten-free soy sauce)

A few drops of balsamic vinegar

Squeeze of Manuka honey (or agave syrup if vegan)

Warm the honey over a low heat. Chop the plums and add the pieces, a clove of garlic, a little chopped ginger and a few drops of tamari and balsamic to the pan. Gently stir everything while warming.

Once the plums are soft, allow the mixture to cool and whizz everything in a blender. The consistency should be jam like in texture. If it’s too sweet or too sharp, add a drop more balsamic or honey accordingly.

Dip one rice paper sheet at a time in a bowl of warm water for 5 seconds, lay it flat, fill along the centre with onion, cucumber, mushrooms and half a teaspoon of plum sauce, then roll. There is an art to this: roll the bottom of the sheet up first, then roll from left to right. It gets easier and neater with practice but it’s actually much simpler than you’d imagine as the paper wants to stick to itself.