Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls (Goi Cuon)

Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls (Goi Cuon)

Fresh, translucent rice-paper rolls packed with shrimp, vermicelli noodles, and a pile of fresh herbs — no cooking required, just assembly. Served cold with a dipping sauce that brings the whole thing together.

• Cuisine: Vietnamese
• Category: starter
• Difficulty: easy

Ingredients

• rice paper wrappers
• cooked shrimp, halved
• rice vermicelli noodles, cooked and cooled
• lettuce leaves, shredded
• fresh mint leaves
• fresh cilantro
• Thai basil leaves
• peanut butter
• hoisin sauce
• soy sauce
• lime juice

Method

1. Cook 100 g rice vermicelli according to the package directions, drain, and let it cool. Peel and halve 6 cooked shrimp (or quickly boil raw shrimp in salted water for 2 minutes and peel).
2. Set up an assembly station: a wide bowl of warm water, a clean damp tea towel, a stack of rice paper wrappers, and a plate holding the noodles, shrimp, shredded lettuce, mint, cilantro, and Thai basil.
3. Dip one rice paper wrapper into the warm water for 3 to 5 seconds — just until it softens and becomes pliable. Lay it on the damp towel. Do not over-soak it or it will tear when you roll it.
4. Place a small handful of noodles across the lower third of the wrapper, then 2 or 3 shrimp cut-side up so they show through the rice paper, then a small pinch of lettuce and a few leaves of mint, cilantro, and Thai basil.
5. Fold the left and right sides of the wrapper in toward the centre, then roll it up tightly from the bottom, enclosing the filling. The roll should feel snug, not loose. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
6. Make the dipping sauce: whisk together 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon lime juice, then add warm water a tablespoon at a time until it reaches a dipping consistency. Serve the rolls cold with the sauce on the side.