When people ask me about this website, I explain that the name comes from a love of eating – the Gourmand part – and a love of trying new things – the Experimental part. Both of these are combined in this post about making Vietnamese Spring Rolls. I don’t remember the first time that I ate them, but they are one of my favorite things to order at Vietnamese restaurants.
How to wrap a Vietnamese Spring Roll
The searingly hot rolls come straight from the fryer to the table where you pick one up and wrap it in a cool, crisp lettuce leaf sprinkled with citrusy cilantro and refreshing mint. Before you take that first bite, dunk it into the spicy, sweet, peanut-y sauce that is served on the side. Then, eat it. You get meaty, crunchy, green, spicy, hot, and herbal tastes all going on at once. Your senses and your tongue are perked up and brought to life as your brain just utters the word, “YUM.” They are completely addictive.
Inspired by the cooking course that I mentioned I’d taken earlier this summer, I took a few of the recipes that I saw on line and fiddled around with them to get what I think is a very approximate version of this dish. Unfortunately, as you can see, I haven’t yet mastered the frying part to get the solid crispy crunch of the exterior shell that you get in the restaurant versions. I guess I’ll just have to keep making batches of them until I get them just right!
Vietnamese Summer Rolls
Prep Time: 30-ish minutes
Serving Size: 12 rolls
Ingredients:
1/4 c. Bean Thread Noodles
1 Tbsp. Asian
fish sauce
1 clove of Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. Light Brown Sugar
5 large Shrimp (about 1/3 cup), peeled and deveined
1/4 lb. Ground Pork
1 medium Carrot, minced
3 large Shiitake Mushrooms, fresh, minced
1 Tbsp. Basil leaves, fresh, minced
12 Spring Roll Wrappers (see photo)
Handful of Cilantro leaves (not stems)
Handful of Mint leaves, fresh
Red leaf Lettuce, Green leaf lettuce or Bibb lettuce, several large leaves
Canola, Grapeseed or Peanut Oil for frying
Dipping sauce
3 Tbsp. Fish Sauce
1 Tbsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
1 clove Garlic, very finely minced or smashed
1/2 tsp. Simple Syrup or Light Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp. Dry Roasted Peanuts, unsalted, chopped
1/4 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes or Red Chile Pepper, fresh, super finely diced (if desired)
Assembly:
Put dry bean thread noodles in a bowl and pour boiling water over them to soften. While waiting for this to take place, put pork in a separate bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the fish sauce, garlic, and brown sugar, so that the sugar dissolved into the liquid and the garlic softens a bit.
Chop up shrimp finely. I recommend using a knife to do this rather than a food processor, as that can make a paste of the shrimp meat, and this recipe needs for the seafood to have some texture. Put shrimp in the same bowl as the pork.
Check the bean thread noodles. They should be soft and flexible, sort of like jellyfish tentacles. Chop them roughly with a knife; they don’t have to be really small pieces. Then, add the chopped mushrooms, carrots, basil, and bean thread noodles to the bowl with the meat.
Pour in fish sauce mixture. Mix in the fish sauce with the meat and vegetables until everything is well combined.
Count out 12 of the spring roll wrappers. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with warm water. Soak one of the
wrappers in the water for about 30 seconds, until it is more pliable. Remove it and place it on
the board or a towel making sure to get it as flat as possible.
Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling about 1/3 the way from one edge of the wrapper.
Then, make the first roll of the wrapper, taking the short edge and carefully lifting it up and over all of the filling ingredients. Take care to roll these tightly and not to overstuff them, as they will need to cook all the way through during the frying part of the process.
Before making the next roll forward, tuck in both sides of the wrapper, making sure to push all the filling ingredients together so that nothing is sticking out too far. Then roll it forward.
Continue to roll forward about one to two more times, keeping the ingredients and the sides tucked in tightly. This will keep the roll from falling apart and the filling intact when frying it. Continue with the rest of the wrappers and the ingredients.
Make the dipping sauce by whisking together the fish sauce, vinegar, garlic, simple syrup, peanuts, and chile, if using. Place the lettuce leaves, cilantro, and mint and put on a serving platter or plate. Put dipping sauce into shallow bowls and put it and the lettuce and herbs on the table ready to be served.
Buon appetito!
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