How to Make Vegan Rice Noodle Rolls (aka Chee Cheong Fun)

I’m not the best ambassador for vegan cooking, because in all honesty while I like the creative challenge of replicating meat dishes using vegan ingredients, it doesn’t mean I want to eat the food at the end of my broadcast.

This dish however, is different, because it’s accidentally vegan, not manipulated and contorted to fit a vegan diet. It’s a Malaysian breakfast favourite to boot (you might have seen me feature it on television, and also on previous videos, but just humour me, please).

Chee Cheong Fun

INGREDIENTS:

• 125 g rice flour
• 2 ½ Tbsp tapioca flour
• 500 ml water
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 2 Tbsp oil, extra for mould

Toppings –

• ¼ cup sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 cup oil
• 1 brown onion, peeled and sliced thinly
• Chilli sauce (Sriracha), optional

Topping Sauce –

• 1 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar

METHOD:

1. Combine all the rice flour roll ingredients and mix well, batter will be very thin.
2. Brush a square metal cake pan with oil, pour a very thin layer (2 mm) of batter and steam on high heat for one minute OR use an oiled non-metallic baking dish and microwave on high for about a minute and a half (75 to 90 seconds depending on strength of your microwave).
3. Allow to cool slightly then use a spatula or scraper to lift up the edge of the rice flour sheet. Roll up then put aside and repeat process until all the batter is used up.
4. Toast sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat, cool.
5. Heat the oil in a wok and fry the onion until light brown. Remove onion from oil and transfer onto paper towel to crisp up. Store the onion crisps for future use, reserve oil for topping the rolls.

Topping – 

1. Combine hoisin sauce, water and sugar in a saucepan. Simmer on low heat until sugar is completely dissolved.

Assemble –

1. Cut the rice flour rolls into 3 cm widths. Drizzle with either prawn paste sauce & Kicap manis OR hoisin sauce mixture.
2. Drizzle with onion oil and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, serve with chilli sauce if you like it spicy.