I’ve finally worked up the courage to make Vietnamese spring rolls. I wish I hadn’t waited so long to try it, but I guess I was intimidated by handling the thin rice paper wrappers. Who knew they were so (surprisingly) easy to handle?
I’m fortunate to live 20 minutes away from HMart, an Asian grocery store chain (a whole separate blog post) and was easily able to find all of the ingredients for this recipe. The two seemingly difficult items to obtain were the rice paper wrappers and the rice sticks, but don’t fret if you don’t have an HMart near you, I was easily able to find these items at my local health food grocery store.
What I love about Vietnamese Spring Rolls is the combination of textures from the fresh raw vegetables and the flavor of the herbs (cilantro, mint and basil). If you can’t find every ingredient for the recipe below (or dislike them), simply exclude them or add your own favorites. These wraps are open to several possibilities and add-ins. I’m going to try this recipe again using sautéed tofu instead of shrimp and throw in some shredded carrots. I also want to try it with crabmeat, avocado, radishes and lettuce leaves. As long as you have the rice paper wrappers, take a look in your fridge and throw in any fresh veggies.
Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Print Recipe
I browsed several recipes for Vietnamese Spring Rolls and this is what I came up with. This is my interpretation of a traditional recipe which includes cilantro, mint and basil. I don't like wraps which bust out of their seams so I added a little bit of each ingredient. These wraps are generally served with a peanut sauce or vinegar dip. For a clean and simple dip, combine 3 tablespoons white vinegar, 3 tablespoons water, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 teaspoon sugar and 2 tablespoons grated carrots.
I browsed several recipes for Vietnamese Spring Rolls and this is what I came up with. This is my interpretation of a traditional recipe which includes cilantro, mint and basil. I don't like wraps which bust out of their seams so I added a little bit of each ingredient. These wraps are generally served with a peanut sauce or vinegar dip. For a clean and simple dip, combine 3 tablespoons white vinegar, 3 tablespoons water, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 teaspoon sugar and 2 tablespoons grated carrots.
Prepare the shrimp: Bring water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add shrimp and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Immediately drain and run cold water over the shrimp. Pat dry and cut shrimp in half lengthwise. You should have 32 pieces. Set aside on a plate (or in a bowl).
Prepare the rice stick noodles: Rinse the rice sticks under cold water. Bring water to a boil in a small pot and cook the rice sticks for 1 1/2 minutes or per package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Using your hands, squeeze out any excess water and set noodles aside in a bowl.
Prepare your workspace: Place all of the items in an assembly line-like fashion: shrimp, noodles, bean sprouts, cilantro, mint, basil, cucumber, scallions, serrano chiles (if using) and lettuce leaves. Be sure to have a damp kitchen towel laid out. This will be your work surface to wrap the rolls.
Assemble the rolls:
Prepare the wrapper: In a dish or pan filled with hot water (tap water or I used hot water from a Keurig machine), submerge one wrapper until it is soft and pliable, about 15-20 seconds. Carefully remove and lay out on damp towel.
Lay 4 shrimp halves tightly in a row.
Top shrimp with some rice stick noodles and bean sprouts.
Add 2 small sprigs of cilantro, 2 mint leaves, 2 basil leaves, some cucumber, some scallions and serrano chiles (if using).
Finally, top with a small bunch of lettuce leaves.
Wrapping the rolls:
Carefully fold up the bottom end of the wrapper. (If the wrapper sticks to your fingers, moisten your fingers with water.)
Fold over the left side of the wrapper.
Fold over the right side of the wrapper.
Roll up, trying to keep all of the ingredients held tightly together.
I’ve finally worked up the courage to make Vietnamese spring rolls. I wish I hadn’t waited so long to try it, but I guess I was intimidated by handling the thin rice paper wrappers. Who knew they were so (surprisingly) easy to handle?
I’m fortunate to live 20 minutes away from HMart, an Asian grocery store chain (a whole separate blog post) and was easily able to find all of the ingredients for this recipe. The two seemingly difficult items to obtain were the rice paper wrappers and the rice sticks, but don’t fret if you don’t have an HMart near you, I was easily able to find these items at my local health food grocery store.
What I love about Vietnamese Spring Rolls is the combination of textures from the fresh raw vegetables and the flavor of the herbs (cilantro, mint and basil). If you can’t find every ingredient for the recipe below (or dislike them), simply exclude them or add your own favorites. These wraps are open to several possibilities and add-ins. I’m going to try this recipe again using sautéed tofu instead of shrimp and throw in some shredded carrots. I also want to try it with crabmeat, avocado, radishes and lettuce leaves. As long as you have the rice paper wrappers, take a look in your fridge and throw in any fresh veggies.
