Today’s post is more than “just” a recipe post. I am introducing you to the Berlin-based label studio TR, which sells beautiful hand-made furniture, accessories and kitchenware, all manufactured by a hand-picked selection of producers in Vietnam. Read more about Studio TR below, and get ready for a delicious meal: a rice noodle bowl with summer rolls and peanut chili sauce.
I met Jule, one of the two founders of studio TR, a couple of months ago in Frankfurt, despite the head quarter being in Berlin. She was on her way to Vietnam back then, where her business partner Bim spent the past few months to visit their manufacturers, discuss new products, designs, material, prices and workflows.
Jule and Bim founded studio TR in 2017 in Berlin, with the aim to offer a sustainable and well curated selection of kitchen ware, living accessories and furniture pieces via their online shop. Among others, the collection consists of seagrass carpets and baskets, coconut wood bowls as well as spoons and other cutlery and rattan baskets of different sizes.
All products are sustainable, and it is Jule’s and Bim’s aim to create transparency between the company, the suppliers and their customers. With the hashtags #nononsense and #transparencytuesday, they post behind-the-scene videos and photos of their trips to Vietnam on Instagram and talk about their sustainable work ethics on the blog, too.
Inspired by studio TR’s story and the new coconut wooden bowls and spoons, I have created a recipe for a colourful-as-can-be rice noodle bowl with summer rolls and a peanut chili sauce. You can serve the bowls with prawns, like I did, or you can simply leave them out or substitute by tofu for a vegan rice noodle bowl.
I am curious to hear your thoughts on the Vietnamese-inspired recipe as well as on the pieces of studio TR. Which products would you order from the online shop?
Enjoy your weekend!
Love,
Lea Lou
Note: I have used PR samples (hence, they were free of charge) to style and photograph the images used in this blog post. I have not been paid for the creation of this post, but love to support a small upcoming label such as Studio TR.
Rice noodle bowl with summer rolls and peanut chili sauce
For two servings.
For the peanut chili sauce:
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 piece fresh ginger (approx. 1 cm)
1 garlic clove
1 red chili
Salt and black pepper, freshly ground
For the summer rolls:
1/2 cucumber
1/2 red pepper
1/2 carrot
1/4 avocado
4 sheets rice paper
Fresh coriander
Sesame seeds
For the rice noodle bowl:
1 ripe mango
1/2 red pepper
1 handful coriander
1 spring onion
1/2 red chili
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 pinch chili flakes
Salt and black pepper, freshly ground
100 g thick rice noodles (or glass noodles)
approx. 10 king prawns (leave out for vegan option)
Vegetable oil, for frying
Few leaves mixed lettuce
To serve (optional):
Soy sauce
More vegetables for the bowl, such as green asparagus, cauliflower, shiitake mushrooms
Method:
For the peanut chili sauce, whisk together oil, vinegar, syrup and peanut butter. Peel and finely chop ginger and garlic. Deseed and finely chop chili. Stir ginger, garlic and chili into the sauce, season with salt and pepper to taste.
For the summer rolls wash / peel vegetables, deseed pepper. Slice vegetables into 4 cm long slices.
Soak the rice paper sheets one after another in some water (using a deep plate) for 20 seconds, until they are soggy and soft. Transfer the sheets to your working surface and arrange a few vegetable slices, coriander leaves and sesame seeds in the centre of each sheet. Carefully fold and roll the sheets to small rolls. Cut the rolls in halves (optionally). Set aside in the fridge, and continue with the bowls.
Peel and core the mango, deseed the pepper, cut both in mouth-sized cubes. Mix mango and pepper with coriander leaves. Thinly slice spring onion, finely chop chili. Add both to the mango pepper salad, mix with oil, syrup, vinegar and chili flakes. Season the salad with salt and pepper to taste.
Cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water.
If using, fry the prawns in hot vegetable oil from both sides until cooked and tender (optionally, arrange on a wooden stick).
Garnish two bowls with salad leaves, fill the bowls with rice noodles, mango pepper salad, prawns and summer rolls. Serve the bowls with the peanut chili sauce and, optionally, with soy sauce.
