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VIETNAMESE FRESH SPRING ROLLS - Gỏi Cuốn

Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls – we might have come across those crispy deep-fried spring rolls with a variety of fillings, but these Fresh Spring Rolls are the ones made with Rice Paper and are served fresh, i.e. not much of cooking is involved in this recipe.

Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls are called "Gỏi Cuốn", which means “Salad Rolls.” Rice Paper (Bánh Tráng) are slightly dipped in water to make it soft. Then these Vietnamese Spring Rolls are typically filled with Shrimp, Pork, Chicken, Vegetables like Carrots, Cucumber, Mushrooms, some greens like Lettuce, Cabbage, and Rice/Glass Noodles. And mainly it is not cooked. Most of the ingredients inside the Fresh Spring Roll except Shrimps/Mushrooms/Chicken and Rice Noodles, all the other ingredients including the Rice Paper are used fresh/raw.

VIETNAMESE FRESH SPRING ROLLS - Gỏi Cuốn

I usually make this Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Shrimps and Vegetables. But, when I made this batch I just had a few vegetables in hand and thus this turned out to be a Vegetarian version of Vietnamese Fresh Spring Roll. Get your hands with preferred ingredients while making this Fresh Spring Rolls. Vietnamese spring rolls are traditionally served with Nước chấm (a dip made of fish sauce), but they’re great with Peanut Sauce as well.

Well, let's see what goes inside this Vietnamese Fresh Spring Roll:

RICE PAPER (Bánh Tráng)

I often buy the large circular rice papers, as they are easy to fold and also holds more fillings. Smaller rice papers also suits well for the recipe, but your spring rolls will be much smaller and if you are a beginner, it might turn out to be tough to wrap them up.

SPRING ROLL FILLING

VIETNAMESE FRESH SPRING ROLLS - Gỏi Cuốn

VEGETABLES:

I like the combination of Vegetables like Carrot, Cucumber & Cabbage. The Vegetables add the needed crunchiness in this Spring Roll. I have also added a few pieces of sliced Button Mushrooms instead of Shrimps in this recipe. I have briefly cooked the Mushrooms with a pinch of Salt.

Vietnamese spring roll recipes use lettuce leaves, as they turn out to be helpful during the rolling process. When you nestle the noodles, vegetables, and shrimps inside the lettuce leaf, the filling won’t spread out everywhere as you roll up the spring roll. The lettuce adds a nice colour contrast along with the shrimps.

SHRIMPS/PRAWNS:

If you are adding Shrimps/Prawns in this fresh spring rolls, then use medium-sized Shrimps. Make sure to de-shell, devein and clean the Shrimps/Prawns and then pre-cook them in salted water for a few minutes. Shrimp/Prawns turn out to be vibrant when cooked, which looks good through the transparent rice paper. Let the cooked Shrimp/Prawns cool down before placing them in the Rice Paper.

CHICKEN/PORK:

You can also, substitute Shrimps with chicken or pork. Use small pre-cooked Chicken/Pork pieces.

GLASS/RICE NOODLES:

Some recipes call for adding Glass Noodles or Rice Noodles. Pre-cook the type of Noodles you are adding in as per the instruction and allow them to cool down before lining it up inside the Rice Paper.

ROLLING THE SPRING ROLL

VIETNAMESE FRESH SPRING ROLLS - Gỏi Cuốn

ADD THE FILLING:

Lay a piece of rice paper. Then, place lettuce, noodles, & vegetables. Next, neatly line the shrimps about an inch above the lower edge of the rice paper. I have substituted Shrimp with Button Mushrooms in this recipe. By leaving a gap between the Shrimp/Mushroom and vegetables, the shrimp will look more vibrant in the final roll because they will be covered by only one layer of rice paper. I usually roll spring rolls on top of a chopping board or over a plate. To prevent the rice paper from sticking to the board, I quickly wet the board by brushing water over it with my hand. After every two spring rolls or so, I will wet the board again.

THE FINAL ROLLING:

When you are ready to roll the spring roll, hold the lower edge of the rice paper with your thumbs and pointer fingers, lift, and roll up the spring roll. Use your other fingers to hold the filling together. Continue rolling the spring roll until you reach the shrimp portion. Then, fold the left and right sides of the spring roll toward the centre. Finally, roll the spring roll all the way to the end.

DIPPING SAUCES

PEANUT SAUCE

Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls are served with Peanut Sauce, Nước Chấm (a spicy fish sauce based condiment).

Peanut Sauce:

Ingredients:

Peanut Butter - 1/2 Cup

Warm Water - 1/2 Cup

Coarsely Ground Peanuts - 1/4 Cup

Rice Wine Vinegar - 2 Tablespoons

Light Soy Sauce - 2 Tablespoons

Peanut Oil - 1 Teaspoon

Brown Sugar - 1–2 Tablespoons

Salt - To Taste

Method:

First slightly heat the Peanut Oil and keep it aside.
Mix all the ingredients mentioned above until well combined.
Finally, pour in the heated Peanut Oil and give a quick stir.
Peanut Sauce is ready to be served with Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls.

Nước Chấm:

Ingredients:

Garlic - 1–2 Cloves

Red Bird's Eye Chillies - 1 No.

Fish Sauce - 2 Tablespoons

Lime Juice - 1 Tablespoon

Sweet Chilli Sauce - 2 Tablespoons (Optional)

Sugar - 1 Tablespoon

Warm Water - 1/4 Cup

Method:

Finely chop the Garlic Clove and Red Bird's eye Chilli.
Add the above ingredients along with the Sauces, Lime Juice & Sugar.
Pour in the warm water and mix well until the Sugar dissolves.

HOW TO MAKE VIETNAMESE FRESH SPRING ROLLS - Gỏi Cuốn

VIETNAMESE FRESH SPRING ROLLS - Gỏi Cuốn

INGREDIENTS:

For Fresh Spring Roll:

Rice Paper (Bánh Tráng) - 12 Sheets

Warm Water - as required

For the Filling:

Shrimps - 36 Pieces

Button Mushrooms - a few

Carrot - 1 Large

Cucumber -1 Medium

Cabbage - 1/2 Cup

Butter head Lettuce - 12 Leaves

Rice/Glass Noodles - a handful