HOW TO MAKE VIETNAMESE FRESH SPRING ROLLS

To make Vietnamese fresh spring roll, you will need:

1/ Fresh roll rice paper: size 22cm.

2/ Shrimps: Boil them for a couple of minutes so they are just cooked through. It’s important not to overcook or they’ll be rubbery and dry.

3/ Pork: you can choose from pork shoulder, tenderloin or pork belly. The pork shouldn’t be overcooked or they’ll be so dry and tasteless. 

4/ Lettuce: use soft lettuce to avoid tearing the rice papers

5/ Fresh herbs: Chives and basil. You can also use cilantro, spearmint or even peppermint, depending on what you want.

6/ Rice vermicelli: You can skip this ingredient if you want. 

How to Wrap Vietnamese Spring Rolls

1/Preparing

- Cook and slice pork thinly

- Poach and slice shrimps in half lengthwise

- Cut lettuce into smaller pieces or strips so it’ll be easy to roll

- Remove tough stems from the herbs

- Prepare rice vermicelli if using (boil the water then add the noodles, turn the heat off. Stir to loosen the noodles a little, then cover for around 6 - 8 mins. Drain out the noodles then rinse with hot water, then shake off all excess water.)

- Prepare other fillings you want to add

2/Wrapping spring rolls

- Briefly dip one rice paper wrapper into the plate with water to wet it just enough to make it pliable and then lay flat.

- Add a layer of lettuce, fresh herbs and vermicelli noodles. Fold left and right corners of the rice paper over the filling.

- Place a couple of pork slices right above the veggies and noodles (about the middle of the rice paper) and place two of the shrimp halves above the pork slices (about the top part of the rice paper). Then roll it up away from you. Place on a serving plate with the shrimp side up

- Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers. Serve immediately with a dipping sauce. 

3/Prepare the dipping sauce

- Vietnamese dipping sauce : make it by combining 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 5 tablespoons of warm water, 2 teaspoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of lime juice. Taste and adjust to taste.

- Vietnamese peanut dipping sauce:

+ Add olive oil just enough to coat the bottom of a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for a few seconds until fragrant.

+ Add hoisin sauce to the saucepan. Stir for about 10 seconds until the sauce looks thinner. Then add peanut butter, give everything a quick stir.

+ Add coconut milk and stir to combine. Once the sauce starts to simmer, add 1/4-1/3 cup of water to adjust consistency to your likings (you can also add more coconut milk instead of water).

+ Reduce the heat as needed to maintain a very gentle simmer and avoid boiling the sauce. Add salt and soy sauce, taste and adjust to your likings. Transfer to a clean bowl to let it cool down.

+The sauce can be served once it is no longer hot, or you can refrigeratate and serve it the next day after warming it in the microwave or on the stove.