Viet Nam / Thai spring rolls and Queer Brewing Flower

These little spring rolls are not very authentic, or at least, they are of mixed authenticity! Further to this, I have deliberately written the recipe to be vague as they should be made to your taste and precision is not an issue here. They can be served as part of a flight of canapes or as a starter; I have even served them as a lunch in their own right. They can be hot, spicy, mellow, salty, sweet or sour and any combination of these. 

The wraps are available in some supermarkets and most Asian shops. You should look for the ones that seem to have woven pattern all over them. In essence they are dried rice paper discs and they come in various sizes to suit how you wish to serve them. The ones I used were on the smaller size, perfect for little snacks. 

Rice paper wraps before re-hydration

• Rice paper wraps
• Carrot (sliced into fine "julienne"
• Cucumber (middle removed and sliced into fine "julienne")
• Spring onions (sliced into fine "julienne")
• Bean sprouts
• Cooked White crab meat (or prawns, or lobster, or anything you fancy)
• Red chilli (finely diced)
• Soy sauce
• Nam Pla (fish sauce)
• Toasted sesame oil

Put all of the ingredients except the wraps in a bowl, adding enough of the ingredients as you fancy (be a little careful with the liquid ingredients - you don't want soup). Pop this in the fridge for an hour or so for the ingredients to be properly introduced to each other.

In a frying pan, or pie dish, pour a little warm water. Slide in your first wrap and wait for a few minutes until it is slippery and very flexible. Place this on a board as flat as you can manage. Put a little of your mix towards the top of the wrap in the shape of a cylinder and wrap towards you tucking the ends in half way. You should now have a spring roll.

Serve with a sweet chilli sauce or a mixture of soy sauce and honey to dip.

The Match

Queer brewing is a queer-owned brewery providing visibility and representation for LGBTQ+ people. It was founded in 2019 and they have done over 50 collaborations in 5 countries. Flowers is a Witbier and as such wheat makes up a large part of the grain bill. Like a Belgium Wit, it contains both orange and coriander and these are both present without overwhelming the wheat and malt spine. It is naturally cloudy and has a soft gentle mouthfeel. This really is a very well made beer. It handled the spice and the richness of the dish without ever being overbearing. I was delighted with it as a pairing.