Related Video: Audrey and Huy’s Vietnamese Kitchen: Gỏi Cuốn

To me, it’s undeniable that Vietnamese food is some of the best food in the world. Vietnamese dishes are colorful, fresh, and typically very healthy (and delicious!). The downside? They can sometimes be difficult to make at home, especially if you live outside of Vietnam where the ingredients may not be readily available. But have no fear! There is one recipe that I am going to share with you today which isn’t too difficult to make and the ingredients are also pretty easy to find either in your supermarket or on Amazon.

Today I’m going to share with you my super easy recipe for fresh Vietnamese spring rolls, also known as summer rolls or gỏi cuốn. There is a video on my channel of Huy and I making these rolls together if you want to check it out to visually see the process but I didn’t really share the recipe in the video so that’s why I’m sharing it here now. Get ready for an awesome meal that’s easy and fun to make! 🙂

Audrey’s Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls (Makes 8)

Ingredients

For the sauce:

(make double if you love dipping sauce)

4 tablespoons of hoisin sauce

4 tablespoons of natural peanut butter

½ shallot, diced

2 cloves of garlic

1 bird’s eye chili

3 tablespoons of crushed peanuts

 

For the rolls:

8 pieces of rice paper

¼ pound pork belly

8 shrimps

1 cup of cooked rice vermicelli

Lettuce of your choice

Fresh mint

Fresh basil

Process

Step 1: Make the sauce

Get two small bowls and place the peanut butter in one bowl and the hoisin sauce in the other. Add a little bit of water to each bowl and mix, creating a loose mixture of each. Chop the shallot, garlic and chili pepper. Crush the peanuts which will be used as a topping to the sauce.

 

Heat a small pan on medium heat and cook the shallots, garlic and chili, about 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter, hoisin and a little more water if needed. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens to the consistency that you want. Be sure to taste as you cook it to decide if you want more or less peanut butter. Then, turn off the heat and transfer the sauce to a bowl. Top with crushed peanuts and set aside.

 

 

Step 2: Prepare the fillings

Place the whole piece of pork belly in a pot with water, a pinch of salt and a shallot cut in half. Let the pork boil until cooked, about 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your pork piece. Try not to overcook the pork. Cook the shrimps in another pot in water for about 2-3 minutes, until just cooked. Remove both and let cool in a bowl of cold water before cutting. You can also cook the noodles at this time as directed on the package.

 

Step 3: Prepare to roll

Slice the pork belly and place on a plate. Cut each shrimp in half and place them on the plate as well. Put the noodles in a bowl and wash your lettuce and herbs. Place everything on the table in your work space. You should also get a shallow dish with water to dip your rice paper to soften it. In the video, we tried to wet each piece with our fingers and it took a long time and wasn’t as effective.

 

Step 4: ROLL!

Wet one piece of rice paper and place it on a plate in front of you (make sure it’s not too wet or it will fall apart). Place the lettuce, noodles, herbs and pork in the middle of the rice paper in a line, sort of like a small log. The log you create should be slightly closer to you. Then just above the log, place two pieces of shrimp on the side furthest from you. This will allow the shrimps to peek through the outer layer of the rice paper, giving it a fancy and tasty look. If I did a poor job of explaining this part, I have created an illustration to help!

Next you will roll the spring roll up. I usually do this in burrito style, folding in the two sides and then rolling away from myself. You will notice that the first roll over will cover the log of initial ingredients and the second roll over will cover the shrimps so they are visible on the outer layer of the spring roll. Make sure when you are rolling that you are rolling away from yourself, but with every roll over, lightly pull the remainder of the rice paper toward you. The tighter you roll it, the better it will look.

Step 5: EAT EAT EAT

Now that the hard work is done, it’s time to taste your amazing spring rolls. Dip them in your dipping sauce and dig in! They should be light, fresh and delicious.

 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe. Please feel free to make adjustments to the recipe to fit your personal taste. You may want to add other veggies or change up the dipping sauce but this is just my version of this well-love Vietnamese dish. Comment down below if you tried this or if you want to share your own recipe. Also let me know what recipe you want me to share next!