VIETNAMESE SPRING ROLLS – GỎI CUỐN

Vietnamese Spring Roll or Gỏi cuốn is a refreshing appetizer made up of shrimp, pork, vermicelli noodles, and an assortment of vegetables rolled in rice paper. They are served at room temperature with a side of peanut dipping sauce or alternatively, Vietnamese fish sauce dipping sauce.

Making an appetizing sauce is challenging and each restaurant has their own recipe. It is commonly made from fish sauce blended with the correct proportion of vinegar, garlic, sugar and chili. Sometimes tapioca flour and coconut milk are boiled with ground garlic and onion to make an eye-catching viscid sauce. More specially, a little glutinous rice wine added to the sauce is the secret of Hanoians. Some regions prefer fish sauce with minced kohlrabi and carrot tenderized with salty water, blanched quickly and tossed with garlic, chili, and vinegar. Indeed, relishing gỏi cuốn is an amazing experience.

Since the late 1980’s, Gỏi Cuốn have become an increasingly popular menu item in many places around the world. Often referred to as Salad Roll, crystal rolls, soft rolls or fresh shrimp rolls, the proper name “Vietnamese Spring Rolls” is becoming more commonly used as time goes by. Besides, in restaurants, the ingredients have certainly changed somewhat in order to better suit Western palates. However, the basics are still more or less the same as the original.

Easy to prepare, Gỏi Cuốn can be enjoyed both in restaurants and in every family dinner. It’s the fresh ingredients which create Gỏi Cuốn’s attractive flavor./.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls Recipe (Gỏi cuốn)

The great thing about this dish is that there's very little cooking. Most of the time is spent washing and prepping the vegetables. This dish is super simple.

Ingredients (Serves 5-7)

2 lbs shrimp (peel and devein)
1 lb pork belly
2 tablespoons salt
1 bag of rice vermicelli
Assortment of lettuce, bean sprouts, sorrel, perilla, garlic chive and/or mint
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 to 1-1/2 cups water or pork/shrimp stock (from boiling the pork and shrimp)
1/3 cup Hoisin sauce
1/2 cup peanut butter
Toasted peanuts for garnish (optional)
Sriracha sauce for spiciness (optional)

Cilantro, Perilla, Mint, Garlic Chives and Lettuce

sliced pork shrimp Tom Thit

Instructions

Clean the pork belly by scrubbing it down with a bit of salt and then rinse under cold running water. I find this to be very helpful in removing a lot of the foul porky smell.
Add water (just enough to cover pork) and salt to a small pot and bring to a boil. Add pork and cook for 30-45 minutes or until inserted chopstick goes in smoothly and juices run clear.
Remove pork, rinse, pat dry and allow to cool to room temperature before slicing thinly. Set aside. You can also chill it in the fridge for about 30 minutes for easier slicing.
To the pot that was used to boil the pork, add shrimp. Cook on medium high until shrimp turns opaque (or white/orange/pink). Remove from pot and rinse thoroughly (keep the stock water). Halve along the vein side. Set aside.
Thoroughly wash all the vegetables. Set aside.
Cook rice vermicelli per package instructions. Drain, rinse and set aside.
Assemble the rolls: First wet the rice paper lightly. On one end of the rice paper, add a bed of noodles, then an assortment of greens, then pork (3 slices). Towards the other end of the rice paper, lay out the shrimp (3 slices). Start rolling up the noodle end, tightly tucking in the filling as you roll up. Tuck in the sides when you are half-way through rolling. Continue to roll up the shrimp. Putting the shrimp towards the end of the rice paper allows you to see the shrimpy goodness through the rolls, which makes it more appetizing.
In a small sauce pan, heat up vegetable oil. Add minced garlic and saute until fragrant. Add hoisin sauce and peanut butter. Whisk until smooth. Add water or pork/shrimp stock. Cook on low until you get the desired consistency. Add Sriracha for a spicy kick and garnish with toasted peanuts.