Vietnamese spring rolls, or gỏi cuốn , are fresh spring rolls filled with shrimp, pork, vegetables and rice noodles. They are usually wrapped in rice paper and served with hoisin sauce or peanut sauce for dipping.
What's in spring rolls?
- There are many ways to make spring rolls, but let's talk about what's in traditional fresh Vietnamese spring rolls:
- rice paper wrapper
- thin rice noodles
- leafy vegetables, red or green
- herbs, mainly mint, but optional chives, cilantro, whatever you have on hand
- thinly sliced pork (belly preferred) and boiled prawns
- dipped in hoisin sauce and peanut sauce
Ingredients
| Pork: 226.8 g pork belly 1 medium onion, cut in half 1 teaspoon of sugar 1 teaspoon of salt |
|
Shrimp |
| Vegetables and Other Ingredients 1 head of green lettuce or red lettuce 1/2 bunch of mint 1/2 bunch chives 1/2 package of dried spring roll paper (rice paper) 1/3 packet of dried rice noodles or dried bánh hội |
| Peanut sauce 2 tablespoons of oil 2 tablespoons of finely chopped garlic 8 tbsp hoisin sauce 2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter 1/2 cup water Sambal chili paste to taste, optional |
Instructions
Preparation of pork:
Add the pork, onion, salt and sugar to a small saucepan and add enough water to cover approx. 2.5 cm above the pork. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to medium heat and cook for approx. 25-30 minutes, or until the pork juices run clear when you poke the thickest part, or when it reaches 145 F with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part.
Cover the pork in a bowl while it cools so it doesn't darken. Once cooled, slice the pork as thinly as possible to make rolling later easier.
Preparation of shrimp:
Thaw the prawns in a bowl of water. Once thawed, remove the vein from the shrimp. Hold a shrimp up to the light to find the vein, insert the toothpick into the whiter part (joint) just below the vein and pull the toothpick upwards towards the shrimp's back. Do this carefully to remove the vein. Stab again at another joint if the oar breaks to remove all traces of the oar. Repeat with all your shrimp.
Cook the prawns: add prawns, salt and enough water to just cover the prawns in a small saucepan. Cook on medium-high heat for just approx. 1.5 to 2.5 minutes or until the shrimp are no longer translucent. Drain the water and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
Remove the shells and tails from the prawns, and split the prawns in half along the body.
Rice noodles:
Cook the rice noodles according to the instructions on the package. The time can vary a lot depending on noodle thickness and brand. This can be anything from 2 to 10 minutes. Drain the water and cool the noodles under cold running water to stop further cooking.
Vegetables:
Prepare the vegetables by rinsing and drying them.
Spring wool wrapping (Full wrapping guide)
- Add hot water to a plate and soak the rice paper for approx. 5-10 seconds. Soak the rice paper just enough to make it pliable and easy to handle, but remove the sheet before it becomes too soft and sticky. Place the rice paper on a plate and start assembling the roll.
- Place the salad at the bottom of the rice paper. Leave 1 to 1½ inches of space on each side of the rice paper. Add mint and chives. Try not to add too many ingredients as this will make rolling more difficult and may tear the rice paper.
- Place the prawns in the center of the rice paper with the orange skin down.
- Place the sliced pork on top of the prawns.
- Add the noodles over the vegetables, evenly distributed.
- Fold the left and right sides towards the middle so that it is tight. Lay some chives lengthwise with one end sticking out. Then fold the bottom up to cover the noodles. You want to keep the roll taut, so squeeze it lightly as you roll. Continue rolling up to complete the spring roll.
