Vietnamese Fresh Spring Roll-Gỏi Cuốn

Dip the rice paper round/wrapper in warm water for a few seconds. It will still be stiff when it comes out of the water. But by the time you layer all the ingredients in it, they will have softened and will be ready to roll up.

Lay the moistened rice paper round on a flat surface.

Lay a small lettuce leaf in the center of the rice paper.

Then lay in a small handful of vermicelli noodles, 1 medium shrimp or 2-3 smaller shrimp, bean sprouts, 2 cilantro leaves, and 2 mint leaves. These ingredients are kinda the essentials (and it’s easy enough to leave out the shrimp if you want to go vegetarian), but please add more to cater to your family’s tastes. These are some optional ingredients that I see regularly in fresh spring rolls: julienned carrots and cucumber, thinly sliced pork, and Thai basil leaves. There are many variations with imagination.

Now don’t put in too much or it will be very difficult to roll up and the rice paper may split. Roll them up by folding the ends over and rolling it up. Try to roll them up as tightly as you can without the rice paper splitting. The rice paper will be sticky and stick to itself. You may have to practice figuring how much to add and how to roll them up. Eating the ones that don’t turn out so well is yummy!

You can make these rolls a couple hours before serving, but cover them till it’s time to eat.

As you are eating, everybody gets their own little bowl of peanut dipping sauce. You can easily make the sauce, or it is sold in jars at the Asian market.

To make the peanut dipping sauce, simply mix the sauce ingredients together.