Vietnamese Spring Rolls

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.

 

Vietnamese Spring Roll ready to eat

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.

 

Chopped shrimp and ground pork

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.

 

Chopped vegetables, basil, and noodles

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.

Spring Roll Filling

Pour in fish sauce mixture.  Mix in the fish sauce with the meat and vegetables until everything is well combined.

 

Spring Roll Wrappers

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. 

 

Lay out the wrapper and add filling

Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling about 1/3 the way from one edge of the wrapper.

 

The first roll

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.

Tuck in sides and filling ingredients

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.

Finish by rolling up the whole wrapper

 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.  

 

Wrapped up spring rolls ready for frying

Heat oil in a wok or skillet.  Put 2-3 rolls in at a time, making sure not to let them touch each other.  Turn them to make sure that they cook on all sides.  This will take about 5 minutes or so.  Take cooked spring rolls out of the oil and briefly drain on paper towels before serving them hot and crispy.

Spring roll dipping sauce

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.

 

Spring rolls served hot with condiments

Buon appetito!