This classic Vietnamese Spring Roll recipe (Gỏi Cuốn *) is loaded with fresh vegetables, herbs and soft pork slices and shrimp, all thrown together with a delicious hoisin as well as peanut dipping sauce.
What is Vietnamese spring rolls, or goi cuon?
Goi Cuon literally translates to salad rolls. However, for long periods of time, I haven’t realized that. I thought it was a random term to describe these rolls foolish me.
These tasty rice paper rolls actually are an herb-based salad mix that includes shrimp, pork as well as rice noodles. Indulge it into as as much sauce (or could we say salad dressing) as you’d like. I love goi cuon, they’re delicious and enjoyable to take a bite of. They’re fantastic for a social meal , where everyone’s rolling their own around the table.
Mom claims that goi cuon as well as Vietnamese spring rolls were not something that people cooked from scratch in Vietnam. It is made up of so many different components and is a huge effort to make. It was insane to imagine making it by yourself as there were street vendors selling them in front of your home all over the place.
Vietnamese spring rolls are designed to be an appetizer and were not meant to be a full-on meal. While growing in her childhood, her family didn’t have enough money to buy on snacks like these.
Is there anything in the spring rolls?
There are numerous ways to make spring rolls. However, we’ll discuss what’s traditionally in spring rolls. Fresh Vietnamese spring rolls.
- Rice paper wrapper
- Thin rice noodles
- leafy lettuce leaves, whether green or red
- herbs, most notably mint. However, you can also add chives, cilantro or whatever else you have available
- Pork thinly sliced (belly most preferred) and cooked shrimp
- Dipped in peanut and hoisin sauce
Wrapper for rice: Bánh Tráng
The most common ingredient is water and rice, papers made of rice (banh trang) can be utilized for a myriad of other purposes. In an Vietnamese market, you can find more than five brands of this material are available. Each with packaging that is multi-lingual: Vietnamese, Chinese, English and French.
In the current pandemic the supply chain has been broken, so I was hard to find five brands. I also needed to go through three markets in order to locate one brand. It was also smaller than what is considered optimal size however, you can use any size to your advantage.
Rice paper wrapper
Rice paper, also known as spring roll wrappers sold in America is usually made with tapioca flour as an ingredient and isn’t a 100% rice flour to enhance the durability and durability of paper. It makes it easier for you to roll and handle without breaking.
In Vietnam there are wrappers that are made entirely of rice flour. We’re fortunate enough to have family members who visit Vietnam often enough , and we were able to send back the ultra thin rice flour wrappers to us to enjoy. The wrapper’s thickness makes eating and wrapping experience different. Because because it’s thinner, it emphasizes the ingredients in the filling more rather than letting you eat from the wrapper.
Spring roll wrappers are used all over the world.
Banh trang is not only an item Vietnamese people consume. Cambodian people also have a roll made from similar rice papers. It’s called “nime chow”-it’s an uncooked version that is that is dipped in vinegar-based sauce rather than hoisin. The Chinese also have a version made of cucumber and duck, served and a hoisin-based dipping sauce. Japanese restaurant chains are using dyed and regular versions of rice paper rolls, too.
The meats: pork belly, and shrimp
The most popular and traditional fillings made of meat for goi cuon recipe, also known as Vietnamese spring rolls are shrimp and pork. There are now vegetarian options and fresh variations using fancy cuts of beef and other ingredients however if a restaurant offers only one type, you can bet that it will consist of shrimp and pork.
For pork pork, you’ll typically get smaller cuts as it’s more affordable. Because we’re cooking this at our home we’ll make it more delicious with fatter and more delicious pork belly!
For shrimp medium-sized shrimp of size 31/35 is the best choice. If your local market does not have it, then you can go one size bigger or smaller and it’ll be just fine. The medium size makes wrapping much easier. Keep in mind when determining the sizes of your rolls that shrimp shrinks slightly when cooked it.
How do you easily separate shrimp?
As with all creatures that consume food, it also has digestive tract. It’s called a vein since we’re deceiving ourselves about what’s going on: it’s just the poop you’re talking about. Let’s take out the shrimp vein or digestive tract!
Here’s a simple method to separate shrimp that Learned from my mother! It’s a lot less precise and the best part is that it’s quick! Then, defrost the shrimp through soaking in hot water until it’s no more frozen. This won’t work in the event that the shrimp is frozen. (By the way, the majority of freshwater shrimp sold is sold in America can be frozen and even those you buy from the butcher’s shop was frozen, then defrosted).
- Use a toothpick to keep the shrimp in front of an illumination source to find the vein.
- Then, locate the joint of the shrimp’s shell. It’ll appear lighter than the other parts inside the body. The toothpick should be moved a lower than the vein, and then push the toothpick to the fullest extent of the shrimp.
- Carefully lift the toothpick toward the rear of the fish, breaking the shell on the way. Make sure to do this slowly, so that you have a greater chance of remaining intact. If it’s successful, you’ll notice the vein expand.
- Sometimes, you might miss clear string, or nothing appears or the vein splits. It’s ok! Find a new area near the shrimp and repeat until the shrimp are free of veins.
- Cleanse the toothpick with the bowl of water or a paper towel, and repeat for the rest of your shrimp.
Rice noodles (as well as an hack to make noodles!)
I recently discovered a great method from my mother to make this dish: usebanh hoi instead of normal rice noodles.Banh hoi are what can see to the left. They’re noodles that are typically eaten along with barbecued meat. They are dried in tiny rectangular sheets. You cook them like other rice noodles, or as pasta.
The process of working with banh hoi is more pliable, and more easy to move or trim and place on the spring roll. This is an incredible shortcut , in my view!
If you are unable to find banh hoi in the local Asian markets , normal rice noodles are perfectly. Try the thin noodles as they are easier to place inside your spring rolls. If you are unable to find noodles that are thin, medium thickness should be fine as well.
Whatever noodle you decide to go to cook, make sure you follow to the instructions on the package Then wash and drain them to cool , and then stop in the process of cooking. When it’s finished draining then lay it out on a platter a bit before the noodles start to form a become clumpy and then form the form of a huge mass inside the strainer.
The herbs and vegetables are used to prepare Vietnamese spring rolls
If I seek advice from my aunts or moms about the ingredients that go into some dish, the typical answer is a variation of “whatever you want” which is hilarious, but not very useful to me.
The most popular ingredients and herbs used in Vietnamese spring rolls consist of the green leaf lettuce and mint. You can choose any leafy, soft either red or green leaf lettuce so long as it’s soft.
Chives are an added bonus when you enjoy the flavorand an extra bit of visual interest, you could easily omit the chives, should you wish to and retain these traditional and authentic.
One suggestion for drying and washing your vegetables can be to utilize a salad spinner. It’s amazing how fast it can dry your vegetables. I love my OXO Salad Spinner which I’ve been using for more than 15 years.
How do you cover Vietnamese spring rolls
There are numerous methods to effectively, cleverly wrap an uncooked Vietnamese spring roll. I’ve created a detailed guide in a separate article regarding wrapping Vietnamese spring rolls with a variety of ways to wrap a lot of them quickly.
One of my most-loved suggestions, no matter how you go is using this gorgeous rice water bowl made of paper to soak the sheets in. It can save you tons of counter space when you’re hosting tables full of guests!
Tips for making spring rolls Sauce for dipping
- Make use of a garlic press to ensure that the garlic isn’t too big and the flavor of it is distributed throughout the dip sauce.
- The sauce may appear thin after it is completed, but will begin to thicken as it cools. If you want it to be more thick, you can cook the sauce even more or leave out the water.
- Pour sauce into serving bowls instead dipping straight into a bowl that is shared. The leftover sauce will last longer in the refrigerator.
The recipe is listed below However, if you’re looking for more information and photos, look at my blog about Vietnamese peanut sauce.
What is Vietnamese spring rolls made from?
A traditional Vietnamese spring rolls are filled with a variety of fillings such as vermicelli noodles, mint, or other herbs and leafy greens and pork, shrimp, shrimp, and various vegetables in a tightly packed wrapping of rice.
Do you have the ability to prepare Vietnamese spring rolls in advance?
Yes, you can. But just a few hours ahead. You do‘t wish to do this a whole day ahead. The longer spring rolls are sit, the more drier the wrapper will become. Reheating the spring rolls isn’t a good idea because the wrapper is not evenly hydrated and you’ll have to cook the lettuce inside which can be a bit sloppy. Restaurants that serve individually wrap the spring rolls with plastic to stop their rolls from drying.
What is a wrapper for a spring roll made of?
Wrappers for spring rolls in America are usually made from tapioca flour, rice flour, and water. It is possible to find wrappers made of water and rice, but this is the most popular ingredients list of wrappers that can be found in Vietnam.
How can you prevent Vietnamese spring rolls from sticking to each other?
For assembling rolling rolls After you have dipped the rice paper that has dried into the liquid, it only requires an instant dip in warm water. Then transfer onto the rolling surface. After that, you can assemble your ingredients and roll them shortly afterwards. Do not sit around! It will moisten and soften when it is placed on the table. It will become extremely sticky if you do not wait long enough.
Make sure that the rolls are not adhering to one another: Do not place finished rolls on top of one another since the rice paper will stick. If you require them to be sealed you can wrap each roll with plastic wrap.
See the picture below for a more efficient method to arrange the rolls on a tray or plate. Use plastic wrap to divide each roll by tying the Cling Wrap over and beneath each roll. This is a great time-saver since you don’t have to wrap each roll individually!
See more:
Gỏi Cuốn – Vietnamese Spring Rolls Recipe
Equipment
- rice paper water bowl
Ingredients
PORK
- 1/2 1 lb (227 grams) pork belly
- 1 medium onion cut in half
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
SHRIMP
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 lb (227 g) shrimp 31/35 size
VEGGIES and OTHER Ingredients
- 1 head of green leaf lettuce, or red leaf
- 1/2 bunch mint
- 1/2 bunch of chives
- 1/2 pack of dried spring roll wrapper (rice paper)
- 1/3 pack of rice noodles that have been dried (or dried banh Hoi)
PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE
- 2 TBSP minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 3 Tbsp peanut butter
- 8 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 c of water
- Sambal chile paste as desired Optional
Instructions
COOKING PORK
- Add onion, pork sugar, salt and pork in a small saucepan with enough liquid to fill it about 1 inch over the pork. Bring the water to a boil over high heat , then reduce to medium. Cook for 25-30 mins or until the pork juices are clear when you poke at the thickest portion or it registers at as 145 F using the instant thermometer located at the largest portion.
- Put the pork with a bowl while it cools, so that it doesn't turn dark. After it is cool, slice it as thinly you can in order to allow for easier rolling later.
COOKING SHRIMP
- Defrost shrimp in the water bowl. After defrosting, remove the veins from the shrimp. Then, hold the shrimp in front of the light source to see the vein. Then, puncture the white portion (joint) on the back of the fish below the vein using an instrument, then push the toothpick upwards toward the shrimp's to pull it back. Slowly pull it back to release the vein. Do this again at the next joint , if the vein is broken to get rid of all remnants of vein. Repeat this process with all the shrimp.
- Cook the shrimp by adding shrimp along with salt and water in a small pan that it covers your shrimp. Cook on medium-high heat for approximately 1.5 up to 2.5 hours or so, until your shrimp are not translucent anymore. Drain and run it under cool water in order to end cooking.
- Take the tails and shells from the shrimp. Cut the shrimp in half across the body.
RICE NOODLES
- Make the rice noodles according to the directions on the package. Timings can be wildly different based on the thickness of your noodles and the brand. It could take anywhere between 2 and 10 minutes. Drain the noodles and cool them under cool running water to prevent the cooking process from continuing.
VEGGIES
- Prepare your vegetables by washing then drying.
Spring Roll Wrapping
- Place warm water in an empty plate and let it place the rice for 5-10 minutes. The rice paper is soaked enough to ensure it's soft and manageable however, you must remove the sheet prior to it becoming too sticky and soft. Place rice paper on a table and begin to put together your roll.
- Sprinkle lettuce at the lower part of your rice sheet. Allow 1 to 1/2 inch on each side on the rice paper. Add chives and mint. Make sure to not layer too many things as it can be difficult to roll, and it could break the rice paper.
- Incorporate shrimp into the middle on the rice papers, with the skin of orange facing downwards.
- Spread the pork slices over the shrimp.
- Put the noodles on top of the vegetables, spreading them equally over.
- Fold the right and left sides inwards so that it's comfortable. Lay chives along the length of the dish with one end sticking out. Fold the bottom of the chives over to over the noodles. The goal is to ensure that the roll is tightly, so gently squeeze it in while rolling. Continue rolling upwards to finish this spring roll.
PEANUT DIPING SAUCE
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, cook garlic with oil till it is fragrant.
- Mix in the hoisin sauce and peanut butter and water , and mix well.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, then immediately remove the heat. Pour into a safe, heat-resistant dip bowl. The sauce will begin to get thicker when it cools.
- Sprinkle peanuts with ground up on the sauce bowls and then leave the paste of chiles on the side for others to add it to their own bowls of dipping according to their preference.
