Fresh Spring Rolls With Peanut Sauce

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 30 mins

Total: 60 mins

Servings: 4 servings

Yield: 8 spring rolls

These Vietnamese spring rolls (gỏi cuốn) are one of my favorite dishes to serve my family. The combination of fresh herbs, savory pork and sweet shrimp paired with a peanut hoisin sauce (tương chấm gỏi cuốn) makes spring rolls perfect for an appetizer before a special dinner or a weekday meal.

Whenever I get a bowl of pho at my favorite Vietnamese restaurant, I always get an order of spring rolls as an appetizer with a side of peanut hoisin sauce. I enjoy how spring rolls cut the richness of pho when paired together. In addition, I love to just eat spring rolls as a refreshing  entrée as well. 

Different Types of Spring Rolls in Southeast Asia

In Cambodia, spring rolls are made with rice paper, rice noodles, herbs, crunchy vegetables, sweet shrimp, and pork. Cambodian spring rolls are very similar to Vietnamese spring rolls, except the sauce is often very different. 

In Cambodia, spring rolls are served with a sauce called tuk trey phaem (the Cambodian version of nuoc cham), a thin sauce that has lots of garlic, with sour and sweet notes plus lots of umami from fish sauce. In Vietnam, spring rolls are typically served with a peanut hoisin sauce. In some restaurants, both sauces are served together to accompany spring rolls. 

In the Philippines, spring rolls are called lumpia. Fried lumpia are filled with pork, cabbage, and carrots. Another fried spring roll is the Vietnamese spring roll (cha gio). This version of spring roll is filled with pork, wood-ear mushroom, and other aromatics.  

Thai spring rolls are very similar to lumpia. The wrapper is made with rice flour and water. It is then filled with pork, carrot, cabbage, and noodles and deep-fried.  

What Are Fresh Spring Rolls Made Of?

When making spring rolls, you will need rice paper, lettuce, noodles, vegetables, herbs, shrimp, and pork. When shopping for shrimp, make sure you get shell-on large shrimp. I find that  shrimp with the shell on is more flavorful when cooked. If you can’t find pork belly, you can use pork shoulder. Pork tenderloin is a leaner substitute.

Spring rolls are complete with a side of peanut hoisin sauce.

What is the Secret to Rolling Spring Rolls?

• Wet but not soggy—When wetting rice paper, make sure it is not too wet. Dip it briefly in water and shake off any excess water before placing it on the plate. The rice paper might seem hard at first, but once you add the filling, the rice paper should be soft enough to roll.
• Don’t use a wooden surface to roll—Do not place damp rice paper on a wooden chopping board. The wood will soak up all the water causing the rice paper to stick. 
• Dry off your ingredients—Before you create your spring rolls, make sure all the ingredients are dry. If any ingredients are wet, the spring roll wrapper will become too soft and tear.
• Less is more—Do not add too many ingredients to the spring roll. If you do, the spring roll will not be tight and it will fall apart. 

Make Ahead

I do not recommend making spring rolls days ahead, but the components can be completed 3 to 4 days in advance:

• The pork belly and shrimp can be cooked and sliced ahead of time. 
• Cut vegetables can be stored in an airtight container with a dry paper towel placed underneath to absorb any moisture. 

You can also make the spring rolls a few hours before serving by placing the spring rolls on a large plate and positioning them so that they are not touching. Then, keep the rolls in a cool dark area loosely covered with a damp kitchen towel.

“Fresh Spring Rolls are so delicious and easy to make once you get the hang of rolling them. Prep is key here. It’s important to have all the ingredients prepped and ready and then making a batch of fresh spring rolls is a breeze.” —Joan Velush

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Spring Rolls

• 1/3 pound (about 5 ounces) pork belly

• 12 large shell-on shrimp

• 3 ounces thin rice vermicelli noodles

• 2 scallions

• 1 teaspoon oil neutral oil, such as canola

• 4 leaves curly leaf lettuce

• 8 Persian cucumbers

• 1/2 medium carrot

• 8 round rice paper wrappers

• 8 sprigs cilantro

• 8 sprigs Thai basil, stems removed

• 8 sprigs mint, stems removed

For the Sauce

• 1 teaspoon neutral oil, such as canola

• 1 small shallot, minced

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (do not use natural peanut butter)

• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

• 1/4 teaspoon fish sauce

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup water or coconut water (add less or more depending on preferred texture)

Steps to Make It

Make the Spring Rolls

1. Gather the ingredients. Let 1/3 pound (about 5 ounces) pork belly come to room temperature for at least 20 minutes.

   

2. While the pork comes to temperature, use a sharp kitchen knife to cut a slit through the shell along the back of 12 large shell-on shrimp. Devein the shrimp thoroughly using running water.

   

3. Add the pork belly to a medium saucepan. Add water to cover the pork by 1-inch. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Once it boils, lower heat to medium-low and simmer until the pork is cooked through and showing no pink, about 30 minutes. The internal temperature should be 160 F. Transfer to a plate to cool.

   

4. Add the shrimp to the same simmering cooking liquid used for the pork belly. Cook until bright orange, firm, and letter c-shaped, 3 to 4 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and place in a small bowl of ice water to stop the cooking (the shrimp and pork stock can be reserved to make noodle soup!).

   

5. Bring a separate medium saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Stir in 3 ounces thin rice vermicelli. Cook until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse well under cold water. Once very well drained, transfer to a small bowl.

   

6. Thinly slice the green part of 2 scallions. Warm 1 teaspoon neutral oil in a small skillet on medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the scallion and sauté for 1 minute. While hot, add scallion oil to the cooked rice noodles and toss.

   

7. Once the pork is cooled, thinly slice crosswise and set aside.

   

8. When the shrimp are cool, remove the shell and tail. After the shell is removed, slice each shrimp in half in the middle of the back to make two halves.

   

9. Slice each of 4 leaves curly leaf lettuce in half, lengthwise. Thinly slice the white part of the scallions. Cut 8 Persian cucumbers and 1/2 medium carrot into thin matchsticks roughly the same length. Set aside.

   

Make the Sauce

1. Gather the ingredients.

   

2. Heat 1 teaspoon neutral oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1 small shallot, minced and 1 clove garlic, minced to the frying pan and cook, stirring constantly, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes.

   

3. Transfer the shallot-garlic mixture to a medium bowl and add 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce, 1/4 teaspoon fish sauce, and 1/4 to 1/2 cup water or coconut water to reach a saucy but not thin consistency. Mix until smooth. Set aside.

   

Roll the Spring Rolls

1. Pour cold water into a pie pan or skillet and have 8 round rice paper wrappers, 8 sprigs cilantro, 8 sprigs Thai basil, and 8 sprigs mint ready.

   

2. Working with 1 piece of rice paper at a time, briefly dip rice paper into the water.

   

3. After the rice paper is damp (not soaking wet), lay it on a plate or plastic cutting board. Lay the fillings in the center of the rice paper one-third of the way down in the following order: Half lettuce leaf, a small portion of noodles, a few cucumber matchsticks, a few carrot matchsticks, a few scallion whites, 3 or 4 leaves of each herb, and 3 slices of pork. Make sure there is at least 1/2 inch of the rice paper border on each side.

   

4. Roll rice paper from the bottom up over the filling. While rolling, make sure to tuck the filling inside. After you roll once, fold the side panels over the rolled fillings. Tuck 3 shrimp halves, pink-side down forming a "n" shape in a row on top of the vegetables.  Make sure the shrimp are in a straight line and touching each other.

   

5. Proceed to roll over the shrimp until the opposite end of the rice paper is sealed on the roll. Repeat this process with the remaining rice paper and fillings.

   

6. Serve the spring rolls immediately with the dipping sauce.

   

How to Store

The texture of the rice paper will not be the same as when you make it fresh.  Not to worry, the spring rolls will be just delicious. To store, wrap each spring roll tightly with plastic wrap and place in a tight container. Spring rolls can stay in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

Recipe Variations

• Vegetarian spring rolls—This recipe can easily be vegetarian. Pork and shrimp can be substituted with fried tofu and shredded red cabbage. 
• Cucumber substitute—If you can’t find Persian cucumbers, substitute one English cucumber.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	493
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g	23%
Saturated Fat 4g	21%
Cholesterol 60mg	20%
Sodium 562mg	24%
Total Carbohydrate 66g	24%
Dietary Fiber 7g	25%
Total Sugars 15g
Protein 22g
Vitamin C 21mg	105%
Calcium 166mg	13%
Iron 4mg	20%
Potassium 1135mg	24%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.