Crispy Pork - Rice Paper Rolls (Instant Rice Paper Sheets)
5-6 Servings
00:30 Prep
1:40 Cook
Moderate - You'll be right
🛒 Buy Duncan Lu Instant Rice Paper Sheets here!
🛒 Buy Duncan’s Instant Rice Paper Roll Kit here!
A reliable crackling pork recipe can be hard to come by but this crispy pork rice paper roll (banh hoi heo quay) recipe features tender, juicy and melt in your mouth roasted pork belly with the crispiest pork crackling. Accompanied by aromatic Vietnamese herbs, wrapped in textural rice paper sheets, and dipped in Vietnam’s iconic ‘nuoc mam’ dipping sauce.
Banh hoi heo quay is a special rice paper roll variation in our household that only hits the dinner table on two occasions: when my wife requests it, or to introduce new friends or guests to Vietnamese cuisine. This is because in my opinion a good crispy pork belly can take up to 72 hours from start to finish—it’s all in the pork marinade and the preparation of the pork crackling. The longer it is left in the fridge, the drier the skin gets which results in a pork belly that is well-marinated with impeccable crackling.
There are many ways to enjoy crispy roast pork in Vietnamese cuisine. The most popular variation is crispy pork banh mi but its also served with broken rice or in a noodle salad. In our household we prefer it with instant rice paper sheets and presented as a roll-your-own dining.
For the ultimate rice paper roll, opt for instant rice paper sheets as opposed to standard rice paper sheets. These sheets are very popular in Vietnam and don’t require dipping to soften. As a result, this prevents the crispy pork edges from perforating the roll. I’d also recommend cutting the pork into small bite size pieces to make them easier to wrap, and finally to serve them with a sweet, zesty and umami-filled nuoc mam dipping sauce to cut through the unctuous pork belly.
If you love crispy roast pork and Vietnamese cuisine, do yourself a favour and give these rice paper rolls a go to experience an epic combination of flavours and textures. Don’t forget to grab some instant rice paper sheets for a more authentic experience.
Ingredients:
2kg pork belly, bone in
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Pork belly marinade:
1 tablespoon five spice powder
1 teaspoon anchovy salt or sea salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoon soy sauce
Nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce):
3 birds eye chillies, de-seeded
3 cloves of garlic
4 tablespoons of fish sauce
4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons of sugar
6 tablespoons cold water
½ lime juiced
Rice paper rolls:
300-400g fine rice vermicelli cakes or thin rice vermicelli noodles
120-150g Instant rice paper sheets or rice paper sheets
1 bunch Vietnamese/cos lettuce
2 Lebanese cucumbers, cut into thin 4-5cm pieces
1 bunch mint
1 bunch Coriander
1 bunch Vietnamese perilla (optional)
1 bunch Vietnamese fish herb (optional)
Method:
How to prepare pork belly:
1. Pour hot water on the pork skin, dry well, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
Duncan’s tip: Cool air from the fridge will dry the skin and prepare it for the next step.
2. Roughen pork skin by perforating the skin with a sharp pointed knife without penetrating the first fat layer (for 5 minutes), then flip meat side up and make 1cm deep cuts, 1.5cm apart (in between the ribs).
Duncan’s tip: Piercing the fat layer will cause rendered fat to pool on top of the skin during the roasting process
3. Mix pork belly marinade ingredients in a bowl and rub into the deep cuts (ensure not to contaminate the dry skin side). Place in fridge uncovered and allow to marinate in for minimum 4 hours. For best results allow to marinate overnight.
4. Take out pork 1 hour before roasting. Pre-heat oven to 150C. Wrap meat side with aluminum foil to protect it during the roasting process, rub sesame oil onto pork skin and cover evenly with 1 tablespoon of sea salt.
5. Roast at 150C for 80 minutes, then remove from oven and scrape off salt from the skin. Increase temperature to 220 degrees and roast for a further 20-25 minutes or until skin has puffed and crackling has appeared.
How to cook roast pork in air fryer:
1. If using an air fryer, 150C for 60 minutes then 200C for 15-20 minutes.
Duncan’s tip: Use large air fryer or alternatively choose use a smaller piece of pork belly
2. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes before chopping into small bite size pieces.
Vietnamese dipping sauce and rice vermicelli noodles:
1. In a mortar and pestle, crush and pound chillies, garlic and sugar into a paste then add remaining ingredients and mix well until sugar dissolves and sauce becomes slightly viscous.
2. Bring a large pot of water with a tablespoon of salt to the boil then add thin rice vermicelli and boil on high for 7-8 mins then strain and pour into a large bowl of cold water. Portion out in small serving sized bundles immediately into a colander to prevent noodles from sticking together.
How to make rice paper rolls:
1. Prepare or boil fine rice vermicelli cakes or thin rice vermicelli noodles according to packet instructions.
Duncan’s tip: If using the noodles from our online store, boil in lightly salted water for 7-8 minutes.
2. Place one instant rice paper sheet vertically on a medium plate. Add a piece of lettuce, a piece of fine rice vermicelli cake or some vermicelli noodles, cucumber, a selection of herbs, a few pieces of crispy pork, then roll into an open-ended cigar with firm pressure.
Duncan’s tip: Adding too many ingredients can increase the size of your rice paper roll making it difficult to consume.
3. Generously dip into nuoc mam and enjoy!
4. If using standard rice paper sheets that require water-dipping, dip in cold water for 10 seconds, then add your ingredients towards the bottom of the rice paper sheet. Roll twice away from you then fold in both ends and roll until the rice paper roll is sealed.
Duncan’s tip: Roll rice paper rolls with firm but gentle pressure. Like cradling a bird you want to apply enough pressure that the bird doesn’t fly away but not too much pressure that you could hurt it.
Other serving suggestions for crispy pork:
- Crispy Pork Banh Mi
- Vietnamese Broken Rice
- Vietnamese Noodle Salad
